Dangan Ronpa: The Despair in Our Stars (SYOC)
by SanityRequiem
Summary: Part Three of the Committee Saga. Time and history repeat. Shiro Amari, the Ultimate Composer, finds himself stranded on a spaceship with nobody he can trust. He finds that the time limit is the least of his worries as everybody and everything becomes more and more suspicious. Who can Shiro trust in this twisted game? And why does everything feel so familiar?
1. Intermission

_Welcome to a world entirely determined by our perception. _

_Where logic and emotion are bitter enemies yet one of the same._

_A Killing Game where nothing but everything makes sense._

_For this is the real world and you need to wake up._

* * *

Waking up, I check my surroundings to see that I am somewhere strange. This is not where I am supposed to be. I was supposed to be going to yet another concert but it seems like I have to make other plans now. It is a hallway of pure white except for a multitude of grey doors. They are the only refuge from this white that honestly hurts to look at. At the end of this hallway, there is a giant window. The window is looking out to what seems to be space. Although I should be more worried, I find the stars to be absolutely breathtaking.

I try to get my phone from my pant pocket but realize it is not there. Because I never lose it, I know somebody must have taken it. This may be a beautiful place yet there is something about it that is dangerous and cruel. It is best to the safe but not fall into the easy traps of extreme paranoia.

Never in my life, I thought I would see space. The Committee only allows people they have completely under their wing to do so. While it is true that playing along with them is important, being another of their mindless zombies has a high chance of them disposing of you when you outlive your usefulness. They have been making advancements in space travel but nothing to this extent. Though the Committee could have easily hidden their progress from the outside world. Much like they like to pretend that they do not force people into slavery, making up lies that they are being paid and choosing to stay there.

"Oh, hey, another person! Finally!" Out of nowhere, somebody jumps onto me. I look behind the see a girl of her late teens. She is very taller than me so she knocks us both to the ground. The girl gets up before me and offers her hand to help me up. It is impolite to refuse so I allow her to help me. "So sorry about that, something gave me the idea nothing would happen."

"It is alright," I respond. She seems like a nice enough girl but appearances can be misleading.

"I should introduce myself! The name's Mei Yamazaki, Ultimate E-Sports Gamer. Nice to meet you."

* * *

**Mei Yamazaki**

**Ultimate E-Sports Gamer**

* * *

She bows and I decide to do so as well. Then she smiles and points a finger at me. I notice that her nails are painted light pastel pink.

For Mei's appearance, she is quite a pretty girl. She has long black hair with bangs parted to the left side. The color of her eyes is a rich chocolate brown. Much like my own skin color, Mei is pale but not to an unhealthy degree. There is a small amount of makeup on her face, with her having light brown eyeshadow and pink lips. Mei wears a simple white dress that is a halterneck and goes only to halfway down her thigh. Her shoes are light brown gladiator sandals that go up to her knees. On her left arm, there is a silver dragon armlet.

"Who are you, mister? I usually don't dress up like this but I was going to a wedding. My parents forced me to," Mei sighs. She begins to play around with some loose strands of her hair, twirling it around her fingers.

"A pleasure to introduce myself to you, Yamazaki. My name is Shiro Amari. The Committee has gifted me with the title of Ultimate Composer."

* * *

**Shiro Amari**

**Ultimate Composer**

* * *

"I've got the feeling that more people are on here. Let's have an adventure!" Without listening for my response, Mei grabs a hold of my hand. She begins to run, forcing me to do so as well. We exit the hallway, running head first to the new fate we have been given.

There is pure dread going through my system, though I do not tell Mei. She does not need to be burdened by my own problems. Yet there is something going on here. Something that I do not wish to be a part of. What choice do I have, though?

* * *

_"This is the last time I'm allowing this to happen. If this happens again, I'm closing down the project, understand?"_

_"I swear Master, I won't fail this time! This will be the perfect Killing Game! I made sure that things will be different this time around!"_

* * *

**Once again, I prove myself to be insane. I'm truly trying something new with this project. Welcome to the true Despair in Our Stars, where I'm screaming with you.**

**Hopefully, this project proves to be a successful one. Though I'm dreading going through intros again. And, yes, this time I will actually intro the men.**

**The SYOC was open on Discord again but I didn't want to spoil you FF peeps. So here's a reminder to join the Discord. It's cool there y'all, I swear.**

* * *

**Males:**

**1\. Shiro Amari: The Ultimate Composer (SanityRequiem)**

**2\. Ayamu Tachibana: The Ultimate Graveyard Shift Worker (TheRoseShadow21)**

**3\. Jun Fumimoto: The Ultimate Stage Manager (Puhuhuhu)**

**4\. Ryoichi Homura: The Ultimate Demonologist (mpjinindustries)**

**5\. Saitou Katatake: The Ultimate Duelist (1Glimmershine)**

**6\. Himura Sachihiro: The Ultimate Violinist (TheUnkindledHunter)**

**7\. Kitsu Natsuki: The Ultimate Commercial Actor (VioElcina)**

**8\. Osamu Imai: The Ultimate Personal Assistant (CommanderofInsanity)**

**9\. Keiji Inukami: The Ultimate Dog Walker (PrincePokePersona) (this name will be the death of me)**

**10\. Renkou Tenkubashi: The Ultimate Basketball Player (RioA)**

**11\. Sora Akahoshi: The Ultimate Astrobiologist (Abitat Eco)**

**12\. Kaimaru Aburaya: The Ultimate Dancer (RioA)**

**13\. Rokuro Karasuma: The Ultimate Masseur (PainX65)**

**Females:**

**1\. Mei Yamazaki: The Ultimate E-Sports Gamer (SanityRequiem)**

**2\. Asuka Takano: The Ultimate Volleyball Player (A-SHSL-Revival-All-In-My-Head)**

**3\. Etsuko Abe: The Ultimate Psychologist (tobi-is-an-artist-too)**

**4\. Emilynn McKay: The Ultimate Lucky Student (YellowtheWriter)**

**5\. Ichiko Miyashita: The Ultimate Historian (Scissor-Snipper)**

**6\. Sachiko Isobe: The Ultimate Miko (SqualinaTralala)**

**7\. Natsuki Sumeragi: The Ultimate Voice Actor (KananMari)**

**8\. Mizore Kurushima: The Ultimate Mathematician (mayurie)**

**9\. Choumi Sokudo: The Ultimate Courier (PrincePokePersona)**

**10\. Seina Amano: The Ultimate Game Master (Lupus Overkill)**

**11\. Chika Akahoshi: The Ultimate Cosmologist (Abitat Eco)**

**12\. Leonie Sommer: The Ultimate Game Developer (Ziggymia123)**

**13\. Tahlia Catherine King: The Ultimate Inventor (tobi-is-an-artist-too)**

**Nonbinary:**

**1\. Yuu/Yuki Akimoto: The Ultimate Duet (notadeadguy)**

**2\. Hanane Wada: The Ultimate Yosegi Artist (TheRoseShadow21)**

**3\. Suzunami "Suzu" Oshiro: The Ultimate Locksmith (AnonChan1)**

**4\. Fubuki Kajiura: Ultimate ARG Designer (SanityRequiem)**


	2. Prologue 0-1

**Prologue 0-1: Eclipse of my Undying Heart**

Beta Read by Lupus Overkill and RioA

* * *

Tap, tap. The door of our heels echo throughout the halls, but no sweet tune dares to follow. She grabs onto my hand, her warmth being tender and somewhat nostalgic. Like days where children would go running home to their mothers, smiles on their faces as they begin to eat their dinner, talking about matters that the world does not care about. Turning back to me, Mei smiles. It is so pure that I can swear that we are both ten again, running through the overgrown fields of the countryside without a care in the world. This spaceship is our castle, our make believe playground, that exists for nothing other than our entertainment. How I wish it is like that, but reality grabs hold, destroying the little, small dream into pieces that cannot be seen but still be felt. For that is all life does, give you the tiniest bit of happiness only to cruelly yank it away during the last second. Where you reach and beg for it to come back, yet life does not care. Life does not understand emotion, as feelings are simply illusions created by humanity and the animals that surround us. For life, only one thing matters...logic.

What matters now is that Mei and I finally reach the door at the end of the hallway. This hall has thirty other doors than the one before us, and I cannot yet tell what their purpose is. The Committee is not idiotic enough to waste all this money on a spaceship that the public does not hear about. But that is not the time to think about such matters, as jumping to conclusions without evidence is beyond dangerous. Mei, still with a massive grin on her face, opens the door to wonderland. The door that will lead us all down a path of insanity not truly understood by anyone but the true dwellers of its realm. Unlike the fairy tales, however, this fantasy does not hold a happy ending. There are no truly happy endings. No matter what, somebody's hope has to be crushed for the sake of somebody to get what they have always wanted. Us Ultimates are not saints, with us squashing the chances of others of our field, who might deserve it more than we do. But the most simple fact of life is that it never plays fair, and it always has its favorites. And being an Ultimate is not what it seems. All we are are birds, trapped in golden cages. We sing for the mouth that feeds us, knowing full well that is how we got trapped in the first place. Yet we do not care anymore, as the intoxication of our very own melodies begins to twist even our own feeble minds.

"Come on Shiro, let's do it together!" Mei beams. It is like she sees the world through rose-tinted glasses, not seeing the horror of our situation. We are still trapped here with no explanation of how and why. Though Mei has found a stranger on the street, and she agrees to take the candy from him knowing full well what everybody always says. Without waiting for a reply, Mei moves my hand that she is holding onto the handle with her and pushes it open. What meets us next is something out of a children's wildest dreams.

I can tell that this used to be just another hallway but it has been decorated. Now there are balloons surrounding us, with all of them being either white, red, or black. There is a buffet table stuffed between two white doors, with there being six including the one we just came out of in the room. The walls are all painted red, with the carpet of all things black along with the ceilings. On the buffet table itself, there is all sorts of food and drink, having things such as punch, chips, and even what looks to be some sort of weird turkey. There is even alcohol, with there being five expensive wine bottles on the table alone. Other than that, there is nothing much. I try to take a step and find it more difficult than it has to be which is mostly the fault of all of the balloons. It is a maze, with Mei waving through the obstacles trying not to get each other lost. Mei and I make it to two of the doors, try to open them at the same time, yet find that they are locked. Our bodies twist to avoid the incoming stampede of balloons until we make it to the one door that opens. Since she reaches there first, Mei opens it, not caring that she accidentally allows two balloons outside. She runs off, causing me to go after her. Though she acts like a two-year-old, she is my only lead to what is going on. Losing her would prove to be greatly unbeneficial to solving this already complicated mystery. Yet I know that it will only get worse since that is what always happens. No amount of running can make you escape from that fact of life. Especially since we're running directly into the belly of the beast.

Now we enter yet another hallway. It is kind of ridiculous how many there are. But this one is normal, with it strangely reminding me of the ones back in my childhood home. The ones I would run around with all of my brothers and sisters, playing tag. I would always lose since life has always had it out for me. Hope's Peak finding me was a curse, not a blessing. Though I have now been introduced to Ayano, Kazuhiko, and so many other amazing people, I cannot escape the shadow that will always haunt me, promising me sweet nothings with her too innocent voice. Mei herself reminds me so much of a girl I have seen once yet never again, though I would hear about her through newspapers and word of mouth. Maybe they are sisters since the girl was named Akita Yamazaki. But, the last I heard, she went missing, along with the rest of her class of Hope's Peak. Most likely she and everybody else...including Kazuhiko and Ayano...are dead, with the Despairs trying harder and harder to destroy the Committee. But it is useless to do anything like that since the Committee is supreme. Fighting back will only hurt you in the end, so it is better to put on their strings yourself and become their puppet.

But, enough with that, the hallway itself has dark wooden floors (the last thing I expect to see on any type of spaceship), along with beige, somewhat beaten wallpaper. Everything is falling apart yet still staying in place, refusing to let go until the bitter end. There are five doors in this hallway, with there being two on each side and one at the end. It is best to truly begin our search, as any of these doors can hold some kind of clue of what is truly going on. Mei goes to the door nearest her, with me noticing that she is holding onto a red balloon. The string wraps around her tender fingers, like a predator latching onto its prey. For a moment Mei actually hesitates, but then she goes to open the door, only for somebody to burst out, with another person running after them. Because of this, the door slams into Mei's face, causing her to let go of the balloon. It floats up to the ceiling, unable to be reached. I can try to reach up to the almost laughably short string, yet that will only waste time. I am nothing like a mother who cares for the child, doing anything so the child can have one simple, meaningless gift.

"I'm so sorry! Uwauuuuu I didn't mean to madam! Please forgive me!" One of the strangers bows. Mei tilts her head, analyzing the situation closely. Looking at this stranger more closely, she is a small girl that I am surprised is old enough to attend Hope's Peak. There is something strangely familiar about her, but that is probably because she looks a lot like one of my older sisters, Komaru, named after Makoto Naegi's little sister. Komaru, however, is much taller than her. She has grown since I last saw her from what I have heard though, with many joking that she reached puberty at thirty. I do not know the science between that yet there were rumors of her visiting Kotori often when she was still alive.

"That's gonna leave a mark. Don't worry about it, I can create some super cool war story!" Mei shouts way too loud.

"Lower your voice. You do not want any harm to happen to Madam Isobe's ears!" The man is even louder than...Isobe? Sachiko Isobe? The name seems familiar but maybe she is one of Komaru's old miko friends. There is no way I have ever meet Sachiko or the man before, even with this nostalgia. Maybe they just remind me of old friends I have long forgotten. My childhood is much like an old photograph that has spent too much time in the sun, still in the sun but faded and severely damaged. Maybe there is a puzzle to make with these photographs, collected by the subconscious of all humanity. A puzzle that will reveal that working together to heal past wounds will make us get what we want and more. But humanity is not like that, too blinded by bitterness to step forward. They would rather keep their photographs to themselves, letting their original message by lost by time.

"Oh, I should introduce myself! Mei Yamazaki, Ultimate E-Sports Gamer!" Mei's eyes sparkle like crystals, or how I imagine jewels would look like. She has long forgotten the balloon that she has lost, or how much danger we are in. Right now, we are in space with nobody in sight that knows enough about it to support us in an emergency. One failing system and we are as good as dead. There has to be an escape pod somewhere so we can exit in case there is an emergency.

"And my name is Shiro Amari, with my title being the Ultimate Composer."

"My name is Sachiko Isobe, madam. I am known as the Ultimate Miko. Please let me know if I can be of service to you."

* * *

**Sachiko Isobe**

**Ultimate Miko**

* * *

Sachiko's eyes are dark violet, much like the expressive color of morning glories. Her skin is that of a milky peach, well taken care of but is severely fragile, likely to get sunburned way too easily. Everything about her triggers the natural feeling of protection, with her being so small and skinny but not unhealthily so. The color of her hair is a darker purple than her eyes, easily can be mistaken for black if not for the usually light setting of the room. All the lights beam down on us like they are spotlights giving us our cue to sing and dance. Most of her hair is shoulder length, besides one ponytail held with a beautiful white string. Much like a string of fate, waiting to unravel to make Sachiko and all of us to finally face our destinies. With the ponytail, the rest of her hair is pulled together and goes all the way to her ankles. There are long straight bangs that border her eyes, making it harder to read her. Though Sachiko may seem cute, I learn the hard way to beware the nice ones. Nobody is this cute without hiding something. And every single Ultimate has secrets that they do not want others to hear. Hope's Peak becomes our vault of lies, yet this bank has the most laughable security in existence. Everybody can sneak in as long as they are not a complete moron. The Committee has not fallen because of their access to information and the acceptance of ignorance the masses share. They know no better life, no meaning of justice, so why should they fight against the hand that feeds them poison?

Continuing with Sachiko, she has a modified version of a miko's uniform. White as snow, she wears a haori, which is basically a jacket for a kimono. There are detachable sleeves with red ribbon stitching on its edges, waiting for the moment it becomes free to become a red string of fate and forever blind Sachiko into what it believes is her perfect lover. Sachiko continues her miko look with a pair of red hakama, or in terms those not acquainted with traditional Japanese culture will understand, long divided pants. She walks around in a pair of geta scandals, only adding a little bit more length to her. Adding onto the look, there is a bracelet with one golden bell, the others nowhere to be seen. They must have somehow gotten loose and fallen off. But whatever the reason, whenever Sachiko's hands move, the bell jingles, soft and hardly noticeable, like a voice screaming to the world but cannot be heard. These bells can mean so many things, to the happiest of marriages, to the saddest of funerals, they play their little song. Such a sweet little cry for help. Lastly, there is a necklace, with a jewel that must be something like an amethyst.

Everything is so normal yet...something is not right. A feeling I have long since forgotten comes bubbling up, whispering that this is not how Sachiko Isobe is supposed to look like. But how can that be? It is probably paranoia trying to get the better of me, best to ignore it. Mei gives me the same feeling, and even this other stranger, but not to the same extent. After all, Sachiko might prove to be a valuable asset. People like her are useful to be around.

"I keep failing my services! Allow me to do everything, my queen!" The man, however, is already proving to be more trouble than he is worth. He is like a fly that will not leave you alone, annoying you all day until it finally dies. Maybe that is too harsh. Perhaps it is time to listen to the old saying, do not judge a book by its cover. There is a chance he is a normal human being who is anxious from this current situation.

"I am so sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"So we're all Ultimates! That's so cool! Hope's Peak must've taken us on a field trip in space! Since we're the world's future and all that boring stuff!" Mei exclaims. I watch the conversation from afar. Not only do I not want to add anything to it, but I am also sure in a couple of minutes they will lose me. Meaningless garbage comes flying out of their mouths when we should really be more worried. The whole world is the same way. Focusing on their worthless lives while everything burns around them. The pity party drowns them in their own tears until the fire has overwhelmed even their personal haven.

"Excuse me, it is really rude to me to not introduce myself. The name's Osamu Imai, Ultimate Personal Assistant. I have been hired by the Isobe family to make sure that their daughter remains safe while she is away from home."

* * *

**Osamu Imai**

**Ultimate Personal Assistant**

* * *

Compared to the grace and elegance of Sachiko, Osamu is quite tame. Almost looks like a person you would see just walking on the street. Another person in the endless sea, getting muted by the overwhelming noise of everybody else. He has dark brown hair that reminds me of dirt, with it being somewhat messy and to his shoulders. Much like pumpkins, Osamu has bright orange eyes, round and strangely soft. Everything about him reminds me of fall, with the leaves falling and crunching underneath my dress shoes. His skin color is that of a darker tan, though it seems to actually be natural or at least well done. There are dark circles underneath his eyes, with his face, in general, making him look older than what I presume he is. He looks to be even older than me, though people have always told me that I have a youthful face. Osamu looks like he should be one of the teachers, not a student. But sometimes life loves playing little games, messing with the people trapped so much that they become used to her being a cruel mistress. However, there are freckles on his face, adding a bit of youthfulness to his overly old face. They are splattered all over his face, almost like the painter did not care and swung his paintbrush at the canvas.

For his outfit, Osamu wears a nice orange dress shirt underneath a long black coat. Buttons go down the middle, every single one of them tiny and white. In direct contrast, Osamu's pants are somewhat dirty jeans that have clearly seen better days. They are dark blue, with an orange patch on one of the knees with small almost unnoticeable, due to how faded they are, designs of flowers on it. His shoes are black dress shoes covered with what I guess is dirt or some other filthy substance and barely hanging by a thread. He also wears glasses that are rectangle-shaped and black, with one of the lenses having a large crack in it.

"Now I should really be doing my job. Is there anything you want Madam Isobe?"

"No...it really is okay..."

"Oh, can I use him? I always wanted my own personal maid!" Mei begins to lightly chuckle as she smirks. Osamu does not look phased in the slightest.

"I am sorry to inform you, Madam Yamazaki, but only Madam Isobe's parents have paid for my services at the moment. And I refuse to work for free," Osamu answers. This man is either the most expressive person I have ever seen, or even more emotionless than a rock.

"Aw, you're such a killjoy. Can't a girl get what she wants for once?" Mei pouts.

"We really should be going...I have a bad feeling about all of this. Like we have done this before," Sachiko says, her voice barely above a whisper. She analyzes the rest of the room, her eyes focused but not sharp. Though, as if something inside her realizes something, Sachiko takes a few noticeable steps away from Mei.

"Deja vu? Isn't that because Ultimates being abducted to someplace they don't know and have no idea how they got there a major sign of a Killing Game?" Mei says those words with the same smile as everything else. But, even if she does not realize the full truth of her words, I regret to agree that is a possibility. After all, this is some sort of twisted wonderland, which means somebody has to be the queen of hearts. Taking off our heads even though we are innocent. In the Killing Game, every murder is made under some kind of distress, so it can be argued that the murderers do not deserve the death penalty. Yet the queen of hearts does not care, for everybody who breaks her ridiculous rules must meet the same fate.

"Killing Game!? If that is the case, I must protect Madam Isobe no matter the cost!"

"Wait, I feel something," Sachiko tells us as she turns around. Osamu begins to search around her as well. Mei sighs and joins them. Feeling left out, I begin to search as well. Wasting this much energy on a hunch, however, will only point to be pointless in the end. Instead of focusing on finding some mysterious object or whatever, we should be seeing whether or not there are others here, and then figuring a way out of here. I can hear the tick-tock of the clock to our oncoming doom, not caring about anything else but completing its soulless job.

Right before I am about to give up, I look up and see something in the vents. I do not have time to analyze it further when it jumps onto the vent and onto Sachiko's head, causing Sachiko to yelp and almost fall. Though Osamu catches her in time, Sachiko still has some of her hair messed up. That is when it comes and turns to me, its yellow eyes staring into my soul, without any regret. Its fur is white, with black spot littered all over it. The tail it has is small and circular, and it can be considered cute if it was not the spawn of Satan. Licking one of its paws while making its new bed on top of Sachiko's head, I do the very thing I feared. I sneeze. And then I sneeze some more, with it being almost endless.

"Goddamn cats," I murmur underneath my breath. I can almost swear that the cat is smiling at me, bragging about its comfort over mine.

"Oh my God, it's so cute! I wanna keep it!" Without thinking, or at least I hope so, Mei lunges at the cat but misses, falling on the ground right by Sachiko. Sachiko and Osamu both stare at her. Mei gets up as if nothing happened. This time she walks over to Sachiko to start petting the cat. Although both of them can be considered on the short side, Mei still is tall enough to reach the cat without any problems. It will be a cute scene if there was not a cat involved. With those eyes, I can tell it is planning something. Probably wants to jump on me to make me sneeze more. But I have learned how to outsmart cats, after all, my old home sometimes had more than a hundred of them at a time. I refuse to be turned into yet another mouse that this cat can toy with.

"Pon-chan? Is that you?" I do not know whether or not I am imagining things, but it seems like the cat nods its head.

"This is your cat, Sachiko? I'm so jealous! My sister and I always wanted a cat but our dad is allergic."

"I guess I should look for supplies. There seems to be a storage room right over there, hopefully, they have something for Madam Pon-chan. Do not move Sachiko, I'll be right back." Osamu goes into another room, leaving me alone with the girls. Pon-chan hops down from Sachiko, landing perfectly on the floor. She does not have a care in the world. She begins to rub herself on Sachiko's leg, and Mei tries to catch her again for more pets. Meanwhile, I do not stop sneezing, hoping for there being some tissue paper on board. I do not want to introduce myself with snot running down my nose.

"But this is weird. Pon-chan lives at the shrine. Why is she here?" Considering there are not many shrines left in Japan, and Komaru not mentioning anything about cats about her own, Sachiko must be from further away. Only rural parts of Japan are rich in traditional culture, while everywhere else is being Americanized by the Committee, along with a lot of the rest of the world.

"Because she's cute! She probably secretly followed you or something. You know how cats can get," Mei laughs. There seem to be no trouble in the world with those two, playing with a cat like they're children. But, then again, teenagers are children, though most people, especially teens themselves, do not realize that. They need time to be childish every once in a while because, before they know, they become sucked into the miserable Hell known as adulthood. Only if I knew that lesson at their age, there would be so many things I would change, though it wastes time thinking about how to change the past. It is written in stone, refusing to budge. Many people fantasize about time travel without seeing that if it did exist, time will not move forward since people will spend all their days fixing the past they should have left alone. Fixing and fixing until there is nothing left of humanity except for an empty, perfect shell. That is what Yoshi and Eimu used to say after all. Having nothing else to do while waiting for Osamu, and wanting to stay away from the cat as much as possible, I allow my thoughts to drift. Drift to either Heaven or hell, daydream or nightmare. It is not the smartest thing to do, but sometimes even somebody like I have to put their guard down.

* * *

_The teacher did not care that only four out of fifty students have arrived to class today. It was only the second day of school but apparently, it was some big holiday in some cultures. I did not see the point, as the Committee was about to ban the holiday just like everything else. Over some stupid reason I do not bother to remember. Two of the others are chattering away in the corner, while the other is doodling something in her notebook. I would have gone yet there was nothing to do at the house with everybody either going to school or work. I did not want to get caught by one of the cleaning staff and reported for skipping school. Even if the school allowed me to go early, they did not like anybody leaving before they personally went to get them, or sent one of their staff to do it instead. Because it was the early days of the school, they did not have the resources that they do now, making it impossible for me to just decide to go practice on my music. Music is the meaning of my life, as the sound serenading my ears gives me a purpose that I would not have otherwise._

_I shifted around my desk, my white dress uncomfortable because it was too small. However, I was not allowed to get something new until I wrote another great piece that would get my parents thousands and me nothing. My time of the month was coming soon as well because it always had a habit of coming at the beginning of the school year as if to spite me. But something like that can never feel emotion. Everything was white so I had to always be careful._

_Suddenly, the two talking to each other made their way to my desk. One of them sat on my desk itself, crossing both her arms and legs, while the other took a seat in the chair to my left._

_"Yoshi Takei. SHSL Conspiracy Theorist." The girl who was on my desk took her hand out and I shook it. "This is Eimu Kaiba. Can't speak. Ultimate Lucky Student or some shit like that. Probably gonna be erased from history later so some other class can claim to be the first after the Tragedy."_

_Yoshi played around her short, green hair, messily put together is two ponytails. She had pale skin with a weird greenish tint that made her look sickly even though she was in perfect shape. The brown, bulky glasses Yoshi wore were way too big for her, forcing her to push them up every couple of minutes. Small golden studs could barely be seen through her thick, curly hair. For her age, Yoshi had a curvy body, one that sick perverts would do anything to get their hands on. And they did. Her top was white and long-sleeved, though there were many wrinkles through it. Though the light blue jeans she had on were too big for her, it was hard to tell at first glance, especially with her black belt revealed to the world thanks to her tucked in shirt. Then, for her shoes, Yoshi wore beaten up black converse, with her laces being white and untied._

_On the other hand, Eimu had a softer face, even with their chocolate eyes not revealing any emotion. They also had paler skin, though much healthier looking than Yoshi's. Their shirt was a faded grey in color, with it being made of cotton but still looking very uncomfortable. The blue jacket they had on was way too big for them, with it easily going all the way down to their knees. On their neck, there are multiple visible scars but they were very poorly hidden by a simple necklace made out of a brown string and a yellow, circular charm. Though, one thing fit Eimu, their black pants that did not really match with everything else that well. Exactly like Yoshi's shoes, Eimu's were black converse, though this time they tied them. One thing was crazier about Eimu than Yoshi, their hair. It was a reddish-brown color and long, with it sticking out everywhere in ways that could only be done purposefully with hairspray. It reminded me about how old rock and roll stars used to look, especially the ones from the 1980s. Back then, it seemed like nobody cared about what others thought, only what gave them the most pleasure._

_"SHSL?"_

_"Super High School Level. You know, what Ultimates used to be until the Committee decided to change it, along with the history of everything. Apparently, it was too long and hard to remember and blah blah blah." Yoshi puffed out her cheeks. It was way too close to the way Mei does it to make me feel comfortable. I do not even remember if Mei has puffed out her cheeks, but, even so, something inside me tells me it must be the way. Maybe it is my want to see Yoshi as she used to be at least once more._

_"What?" I asked her._

_"Don't worry, everybody is the same way when they find out their entire life is a lie! I wonder if we're even real. Considering that the Committee plans on faking their own moon landings, nothing can be the truth coming from them! They still hoard diamonds to make them cost more than they actually are! Humanity saved themselves the Tragedy, but they've yet to realize there is more to come. With the Committee around, there will always be a Tragedy," Yoshi began to rant. She then went on and on about how bananas are starting to get priced up more to fund a war with Taiwan. During that time, Eimu tapped on my shoulder. They passed me a piece of paper and, when I looked at it, it was a well-drawn picture of a unicorn. It was not Ultimate level yet it was still above the average person._

_"That's cool. How did you do that?" Feeling uncomfortable, I started to fix my dress again. Something about them always made me feel itchy._

_"Our mom taught her that. Teaches us everything. Truly, she's awesome!" Looking at the two of them, I could not believe that they were related. The only thing the two of them shared was their shoes. "Oh, I know that look. We're adopted. In fact, we've three-hundred and thirty-three other sisters. You see, the Committee is horrible at managing people like us and allows adoptions like this. But we've enough supplies and room for all of us!"_

_"I thought I had a lot of siblings..." I awkwardly laughed._

_"You know what, our mom wanted us to check something here. Let's make it a fun adventure!" Too much like Mei, Yoshi grabbed onto the hands of Eimu and me. The other person and teacher did not make a noise about the three of us running out of the door, smiles on our faces._

_Too bad I cannot smile anymore._

_We ran off to the rising dawn, even though it was not that time of the day. Sunshine lit up our path, until we ran off into the shadows. Reaching for the nearest door, we did not know the journey we would soon embark on would eventually lead to our downfall. We are all buried six feet under, just one of us is pretending not to be part of the walking dead._

* * *

"Shiro! Earth to Shiro!" Mei pinches my cheek, causing me to come out of my daze. She is holding Pon-chan with her other arm, in a way I do not think is safe. But at the moment I do not care about a possible hazard to pet safety, I try to get away, knocking myself into a wall. I get a weird feeling that I have done that a lot before, even though I am not known for being clumsy. Yet I have to continue telling myself that it is all nonsense, my paranoia and imagination is just crazier than usual due to the stressful situation.

"Can you get-" I am interrupted by my very own sneezing. While I was out, Osamu must have come back, considering he actually gives me tissues. "Thank you, Imai."

"Madam Isobe wanted to make sure you are alright. You must have truly been tired if you went to sleep. Perhaps you should go back to your room and rest." Looking for Sachiko, I see that she is right next to Osamu, slightly hidden by him being much larger than her. Osamu reminds me strangely of my true father, strong and unwavering in protection. But people like that always get hurt, they are always the ones that get used just for somebody to get one step closer to a goal that they will never truly accomplish.

"It is no big deal. We should see if there is anybody else-"

"Actually, Osamu found one in the storage room!" Mei gives the cat to Sachiko, who struggles to carry her so places her down. She then pulls at somebody I did not see before, yet another girl. Whoever this is, I can already tell that she is going to be eccentric. It never ceases to amaze me how much of these personalities Hope's Peak can find. Maybe Ayano Kirigiri and Shun Tsukishiro are purposefully looking for people with big personalities so there will be even more attention directed at Hope's Peak. Then again, every story must have a colorful cast of characters, to entice the readers to indulge in the next book. It matters not the contents of the story, but the strength of the heroes.

"Greetings, it is I, Seina Amano!" She begins to pose with Mei, with the two of them going back to back. "I'm the Ultimate Game Master!"

* * *

**Seina Amano**

**Ultimate Game Master**

* * *

Seina looks like she popped straight out of a comic book. Her hair is much like the ocean, blue and not to be tamed, with curls looking much like waves. Much like fireflies, her eyes are yellow and look like they can light up the night. There is a lot of makeup on her face, even though it looks like it is supposed to be subtle except for the obvious, with the most prominent things being her dark eyeshadow and buckets full of blush. For a girl, Seina's body is broad, though she is still lean and somewhat curvy. Very somewhat. That is putting it nicely. But enough satisfying my inner teenager and feeling horrible about it, the rest of Seina is there as well. After all, there is something alluring about all of her. Unlike everybody else, I can say without a doubt that I have not met her before. Whatever this feeling is, somehow Seina is excluded from all of them. So it is most likely my gut, Mei, Sachiko, and Osamu must subconsciously remind me of people I have seen before.

For her outfit, Seina wears a long black dress underneath a long shimmery robe covered in beautiful golden stars. Moving around, Seina looks like she is the night sky, showing us all several shooting stars to finally have all of our wishes come true. Everything about her besides her face is covered. Between the robe and dress, Seina wears a satchel that looks kinda awkward but, really, everything about her can be described like that. Her shoes are black high-heeled boots that blend in with her long dress. There is a chunky gold chain necklace around Seina's neck, almost like the gold itself is trying to imprison her for it look strangely like shackles. On both arms and hands, Seina has numerous golden rings and bracelets. I cannot understand how somebody can be so mysteriously yet cartoony at the same time. Seina feels like she is part of a black, endless sea, where the only way out is navigating the stars.

"Oh my God, that was so cool! I wanna do it again!" With a somewhat smug smile on her face, Seina does it again, this time waving her wand. It looks like some sort of theatre prop, with it looking to be made out of wood painted dark blue.

"Critical success!" That is it, Shun must have a hidden talent of finding insane people. It surprises me that Hope's Peak has yet to make him an Ultimate already. I think he would be a great benefit to the school with a title like Ultimate Talent Scout.

"Excuse me, but what is a game master?" Sachiko innocently asks.

"I shall reveal to you the truth! Simply put, I'm a dungeon master!" Seina replies. Sachiko stares at her blankly. "Alright, alright, I host games and such. You know roleplay? Please tell me you know what roleplay is. Otherwise, I've got a new mission of teaching you all the wonders of Dragonslayer with my darling apprentice!" She and Mei high five each other. Right before, Seina quickly places her wand in her satchel.

"What is roleplay?"

"Madam Isobe, it is where you pretend to be something that you aren't!" Osamu shouts. I have to fight the urge to cover my ears since that can be considered rude. With him, I am reminded of all the people at my concerts who scream at people to be quiet, not realizing that they are making more noise than them. It is sometimes hard to focus on the performance with people like him. Working so hard to get in the perfect mindset for a performance, it can be rage-inducing to have somebody act in such a way. But I have to hold it all in, as it is not wise to act on such feelings. Out of all of the emotions, anger is the most dangerous. Anger is a fire, threatening to burn down everything if it is allowed. The red flames not caring about what or who they hurt in the process, only that they turn everything into cinders.

"When we get out of here, we're taking you to Media Cafe Luna! The regulars would love a moe loli like you! Hell, you might turn into a Yamato Nadeshiko when you're older and get even more fans that way! It all depends on the personality they give you. But I want you to remain a sweet, precious cinnamon roll for all eternity," Mei comments. Sachiko once again tries to understand everything she says but fails miserably. Even with all of the anime fan terms that some of my siblings have taught me, I do not know what a...Yamato Nadeshiko?...is. That sounds like a name, so perhaps it's a popular character that Mei likes?

"We should do a game with everybody we find."

"Oh my God, Seina, that sounds amazing!" Mei begins to jump around. It amazes me how much energy she can have in a situation like this. To my surprise, Seina gets out a mask from her satchel and begins to wear it. The mask itself looks to be some kind of demon, with it covering the upper half of her face. Even with our relaxed dress code, I do not see how Hope's Peak allows people to wear stuff like this to school. Such outfits would prove to be distracting, but Hope's Peak never cared about actual education. There have been students that did not even know how to read or write in my class, but they graduated perfectly fine. Education has never been a goal for the Committee, only power. After all, educating the masses will only take away their strength as more of the masses rise up, so it is better for them to keep their people dumb. We are only their miserable pets, and they only care about potty training us so we do not make a mess of the place.

"You should not wear anything like that. It only brings bad omens," Sachiko notes about the mask.

"Aha! For now, I'm a demon, ready to feast on the souls of the innocent! A knight has to come and slay me!" Seina begins to lightly chuckle as she brings out her wand. "I shall use this to curse everybody here and turn them into frogs!"

"No matter what, I'll protect Madame Isboe from your evil!" Osamu quickly shields Sachiko from Seina. The cat has disappeared into places unknown, and I do not care to check. All I know is that my allergies are gone so I am content.

"I can take care of myself," Sachiko whispers. Due to my years in the music industry, I have developed better ears than most people. Although she does not move, Sachiko starts looking around the hall for Pon-chan.

"Quick, my fellow knight in shining armor, we should defeat the evil wizard together to save the princess!" Mei makes the motions of taking out a sword and points the air to Seina. Seina does not seem to be bothered as she points her magic stick at Mei. Soon enough, the two of them participate in mock battle, looking exactly like my sisters whenever they played with toy swords. With extremely awkward movements, the two of them try to outclass each other, with Osamu and I watching from the sidelines. Sachiko is still too focused on her cat to truly pay attention. This goes on for a couple of minutes, where I start to be bored. Before I interrupt the scene, Seina knocks the pretend sword out of Mei's hands, with Mei dramatically gasping.

"Do your worst, villain! There's no way we'll be defeated by the likes of you! We'll always-"

"Silence, slave! You're now all mine!" Seina does the fakest evil laugh I have ever heard. Afterward, she points her wand at Mei, with Mei trying her best to look defiant. "Bibbidi bobbidi boo." Once again, Seina returns her wand to the satchel. The moment she does, Mei crouches down on the floor and starts jumping like a frog, ribbiting all the while. "My plan will be a success! One day, my frog army will take over the world! Bwahahahaha!"

"Wait, there is something coming-"

"No, it's my bear army! Puhuhuhuhu~" somebody yells over the speakers, interrupting Sachiko. It is so loud that all of us begin to cover our ears. Even minutes afterward, my ears are still ringing. Though we wait for the voice to return, it does not, leaving us in a strange silence. The voice itself was so playful yet dark, as if a criminal to trying to impersonate a child. But it is best to focus on that later, as we have to eventually run into who that voice belongs to, and find resources and other people who have been possibly kidnapped. Perhaps in one of the rooms, there is a clue to why we are truly here.

"We should focus on the situation on hand now. This is no time for play," I tell everybody.

"Alright, killjoy!" Mei pouts. A second later, Pon-chan appears at her feet, meowing. The cat could be easily recruited by Hope's Peak for a talent as ridiculous as Ultimate Transporter. After all, the original school did have a couple of animals join its ranks, with one of them literally being the Ultimate Chicken.

"Now we need to find the possible others. I have to check more of the supplies to make sure we have enough for Madam Isobe to survive," Osamu remarks. Yes, we still do not know why we are here. Jumping to conclusions that it is a Killing Game will only lead to unneeded panic. For all we know, this is a sick test by Hope's Peak. Though, if it is that simple, there is no reason for me to be here. It has been seven years since I graduated from it, so I thought it could be behind me. But Hope's Peak is like a shadow that refuses to let go, trying to drag you in the overwhelming darkness known as the Committee. And they will not stop until they are your puppet. The thing is, I have no idea whether or not I am trapped in there or free. Maybe I will never know.

"We have to be careful...I do not want anything bad happening to Pon-chan..." Almost like I am on cue, I sneeze. Wonder if there is some sort of allergy medicine onboard. Otherwise not only will the situation be dangerous, but my effectiveness of getting out of it will also be worsened. Nobody makes their best decisions while being badly affected by allergies.

"Yes, do any of you know how many students are supposed to be in your class?" I ask them. Hope's Peak has been going all over the place with numbers, with my class being fifty and being immediately followed by ten.

"Sixteen," all of them answer at once.

"I don't remember you being listed as part of the students though, Seina. I would've definitely freaked out!" Mei adds-on. Could it be that they are doing two classes at a time? Hope's Peak did mention something about having more classes per year now since they have enough supplies and funds to make their dreams a reality.

"Me either...could it perhaps be that we are from separate classes?"

"I memorized the class list for this year and only Madam Yamazaki and Isobe's names were on it besides mine. So where do you two ladies come into play?" Osamu questions. With that, I sigh. Guess after all of these years, I still look feminine. My femininity is a curse that refuses to release its hold on me. By now, I thought I would be used to it, but sometimes humans have to show emotion. Sadly, we are not like robots as of yet, not being able to reach our fullness potential because of the chains of our own hearts. Without emotion, there would be no despair, nothing to destroy the world and everything we have built. Emotions will only hurt us in the end, but logic makes us into the very best beings that we can be. Logic makes it so that we are able to work together to solve the world's problems, without the threat of discrimination. Human beings live chained down by their emotions for thousands of years, along with the other animals we share the Earth with, without realizing that they have made their very own cage, though with the door unlocked. All we have to do is open the door, to a world where nothingness is the only thing that we feel as we make the world into a perfect utopia. There is no sadness, no pain, only progress.

"Excuse me, Imai, but I am a man," I correct him.

"Oh, I am very, very sorry for misgendering you, Master Amari. Please accept my apology." Without a second of doubt, Osamu drops to the floor bowing. Sachiko jumps at the suddenness of it. Pon-chan does not seem to be bothered as she relaxes on Osamu's back and curls up in a ball. Thinking about her existence again causes yet another sneeze.

To describe me better, and why many mistake me as a woman, I have a feminine body. Nothing I can really do about being born like that so I just live on, choosing to be who I want to be. Because worrying about things like sexual orientation and gender is not logical and, at least in my mind, a waste of time. I have a standard appearance for somebody of Japanese descent: pale skin, brown eyes, and black hair (though I have this thing apparently called an ahoge, but it is annoying and I am trying to get rid of it only for it to return). This day, I decided to wear a black dress shirt underneath a white suit jacket. The suit jacket matches exactly with my white pants, which is a good sign because I bought them together and would have immediately bought them back if they were only the slightest shade off. I wear a standard red tie that matches my visible red belt, as I usually tuck my shirts in because I personally find that more comfortable. And it makes sense to do what makes you feel the most good for something as meaningless as clothes. To top everything off, I wear black dress shoes. It is not anything overly nice but I am not somebody that is known to go overboard. That only brings unneeded attention, not to mention that it usually costs more.

"That is alright, please get off the floor now. You do not know what has been done to it-"

"You're right! They could've put something on the floor or walls or ceilings to harm Madame Isobe! I have to make sure that she is safe at once!" Osamu rushes back into what seems to be correctly labeled as the storage room. It takes him less than a couple of seconds to return, mop and bucket in hand, along with various sprays and sponges in the bucket itself. He gets a ponytail out from one of his pockets and ties his hair back. With that out of the way, Osamu begins to clean so fast that I can barely register him. Sometimes it amazes me that the things that Ultimates do are humanly possible. Guess the small percentage of humans worthy of the title of Ultimate can be considered ones that somehow broke the rules of psychics to get where they are today. After all, there is somebody claiming to be a miko, even though I do not personally believe in that religion. Humans just have to accept nothing happens after they die so they have to make the best out of the short life that they do have. Hoping for the afterlife to fix all of your problems will not solve anything. In fact, it will only make you more miserable, since you will be spending all of your time praying for a solution that will never come instead of doing it yourself.

"You can do it!" Mei cheers on, although I am sure he cannot hear any of us at the moment. He is so focused on his current task, with him not taking even one break with all the backbreaking labor. Honestly, I did not believe that personal assistants did anything like this, but maybe only Osamu does this and that is how he is the one that got the Ultimate title.

"But seriously, how old are you three?" Seina asks.

"That will not do very much good since Hope's Peak accepts students of all ages. But, if you want to know, I'm twenty-five and graduated from the first class," I reply.

"You're twenty-five?!" Mei and Seina exclaim at the same time. It is like they are on the same wavelength.

"And I'm fourteen!" Osamu exclaims from the other side of the room. At first, I think I did not hear him correctly, but then it registers that I did. Some people do not age well like I apparently do.

"Wait, I am older than you?" Sachiko asks.

"Yes!" With that, Osamu is finished cleaning. Although it is not as clean as it would be with somebody like the Ultimate Maid, the hallway still shines more than it did before. This is looking more and more like my old home and I do not know how to feel about that. Maybe I should not let myself be overcome with nostalgia, after all there is no reason to think that this hallway is nothing more than that. Though it is weird that there is so much wood in a space station, that can be easily explained by it being built by some eccentric billionaire, or by the new head of Committee research who is hopefully not as insane as Kotori Hiraoka (if I remember correctly, their first name is something like Yui, Yuki, or Yukio, though I cannot recall the last). He quickly returns all the supplies to the storage and comes back to meet back up with us.

"I thought I would be the oldest but, alas, Shiro gets that honor! My age is only a sad eighteen," Seina mock frowns. It is hard to read her exact emotions with her mask still being on. I can just imagine playing a sad violin next to a scene like this. I get a strange feeling that there is somebody related to music with us besides me, but that is probably just my brain wanting somebody else to talk with about the wonders of all the different instruments. How every single one of them has a different voice, ready to serenade to the audience. From the triangle to the organ, each one has its own unique story to tell. Truly, the only place where I find it appropriate to express emotion is music. In a perfect world, there would be no music, which saddens me greatly but some sacrifices have to be made for the greater good.

Before we can continue any sort of conversation, there is a giant thud. It seems like it is from the one right next to the storage room. All of us run towards it, Mei holding Pon-chan in her arms and causing me to sneeze some more. I notice that for some reason, Sachiko pauses right before the door, and Osamu does not seem to notice as he enters with Seina and Mei.

"Isobe, what is the matter?" Without thinking, I grab onto her hand for some kind of response. I may have only known her for about an hour, yet there is something wrong with this picture since she refuses to move. It is like she became trapped as a photograph, unmoving and existing just for people to be amazed. The moment my hand makes contact with her own, there is some kind of spark.

* * *

_Sachiko's image shatters and tries to complete itself, but everything is distorted. Nothing fits even though it is the same, like a child is working on a puzzle and places the pieces in the wrong place. Although they're from the same place, the image itself is disturbing, not to mention there is so sort of effect. It reminds me of when computers glitch out. Every couple of seconds, the glitches change, though it never creates a perfect image._

_For a second, there is a bright light. I can barely make out Sachiko during this moment. The most I can see is now her shorter hair, turning into an odd shade of purplish blue which is probably thanks to the weird lighting, with it being in what looks to be two ponytails. However, the white strings of destiny return. Somehow, they untie from her hair, causing it to go down and reveal how long it truly is, which is to her shoulders. In a way that is both soft and rough, the strings tie around my hands, binding them together. Though a prisoner to my own fate, I am strangely free, being able to grab onto the hands of whoever this Sachiko is._

_"Free us," Sachiko smiles. "Please, it hurts. Everybody is in pain. Our souls need to find salvation."_

* * *

"Shiro? Um, we should go now." Still in a daze, I barely realize that Sachiko is now entering the room, with Osamu by her side. I must have fallen asleep suddenly, for I have not had that much sleep last night. Whatever this is, I hope it gets done quickly since I have an important concert coming up and still have to perfect some of my newer pieces.

Following in after them, and trying to forget my weird dream, I see that the room is mostly empty, which is odd. It is made completely out of wood and the only source of light is a tiny light on the ceiling, swaying back and forth and barely hanging by a thread. Other than everybody I have already meet, there are two people inside, both men. One of them is inside what looks to be a pentagram made out of salt, while the other is pointing an actual real sword at him. At this moment, I realized...it was useless praying for the other people stuck on board to be any sort of normal.

"I have the elegance of a phoenix, beauty of a prince, and ferocity of a dragon! How dare you think lower of me with your wicked use of witchcraft!"

"Me, a witch? You are mistaken! I am Haagenti! The Lord of the Seven Circles of Hell! Pathetic witches and warlocks do not stand at the same level as I!"

"Um, we just wanted to talk," Seina responses. Even she is taken back at the situation. Osamu once again is using his body as a shield for Sachiko, though this time he means it and is keeping her quite close. The only one not phased in Pon-chan, who walks up to Ryoichi and meows. Ryoichi actually gives her a pet, confirming my theory that all cats are evil, most likely because they find it the most efficient for their survival. Though this moment of surprising calm is interrupted by yet another of my sneezes, causing the two new faces to glare at me.

"This is kinda cool and kinda freaking me out. Wait, that only makes it more awesome!" Mei yells.

"Excuse me, but this is only wasting our valuable time. Can you please tell us why you are fighting?" I question them. Because I am most likely the oldest person here, it is time for me to become the adult here. Perhaps I am too used to this duty already. All of my older siblings would goof off while I took care of the younger children. Due to reasons I still have yet to understand, my parents allowed this behavior to continue, while I was punished if I even breathed in the wrong direction. These Ultimates do not seem to have to worry about expressing their eccentric selves, and I cannot help to feel a little jealous. Accepting emotions makes it easier to bury them underneath a fountain of logic after all.

"I shall not say anything until he agrees to fight me in honorable combat." Then I notice one of the strangers throw something to the other, a sword. Immediately, the other picks it up. I never would have thought I would see my very first sword duo is space, yet life always finds a way to surprise us. We have to be prepared for anything, otherwise, life will stab you in the back without any remorse.

"He has insulted my bride, along with that foul angel!" The stranger in the pentagram points at Seina, his finger wildly shaking. "Anybody who dares mock my bride shall have their bones ripped apart!" There is a story here and I do not want to know it. We should not waste time here. Looking over to Sachiko, I see that her eyes are wide. Her fingers dig into the skin of Osamu's now exposed arm because he must have pulled his sleeves up during cleaning and I did not realize it. She is shaking, barely able to keep herself balanced. But, looking down at my hands, I see that I am shaking too, though it is easy to see why. It is a simple reaction to the situation, nothing more and nothing less. In fact, the only person completely calm in the room is the stranger that originally was the only one with swords. I do not yet understand what he hopes to prove by providing one to somebody that is possibly unhinged.

"Everyone has a certain darkness that lurks in the deepest recesses of one's conscious, it's only a matter of whom lures it out. Whoever you are, sir, you have allowed yourself to be consumed by it without a second thought! For that, I need to purify your damned soul! For that is the mission of Saitou Katatake, the Ultimate Duelist."

* * *

**Saitou Katatake**

**Ultimate Duelist**

* * *

Much like a lot of the other students, Saitou is dressed like he is going to some kind of convention for people who enjoy watching Japanese cartoons. He has defined muscles, with his skin being pale. Much like blue sapphires, his eyes are tiny yet still sharp, focused entirely on his opponent. Although there is some anger, mostly Saitou is calm, his breath being steady along with his hands. Everything about Saitou looks like a prince, even his fancy, well-trimmed black eyebrows. In fact, Saitou could be considered attractive if he dressed more normally. It must be so expensive to get these outfits, and they do not even look that comfortable. Why waste your money on something you will not even enjoy? Money is precious in this world, with there being many people dying on the streets, with these people wasting what they have on themselves and not improving the world. Then again, I am the same way, as humans, as we are now, are selfish creatures due to the constant, endless, meaningless war between hope and despair. Honestly, I am sick of it, since it is not smart to continue a war that has no end. Continuing with Saitou, his hair is silver and is tied back in a long braid, along with there being bangs that hang down over half of his face.

Meanwhile, his outfit comes directly from a fairy tale, almost like Saitou is here to get his princess but does not realize she is in another castle. He wears a black, frilly suit jacket with a fancy tailcoat and golden trim, reminding me of the night much like Seina's. There is a blue undershirt, almost looking like deep black. Hiding his hands from the world, Saitou wears a pair of white gloves. White slacks are held up by a black belt, also revealing his polished black leather shoes. Elegantly draped over his right shoulder, he wears a velvety blue cape. Yet another of my classmates remind me of the night, but Saitou is a night with a full moon and stars staying in place, granting no wishes. For the stars are a golden necklace, decorated with the finest jewels a man can buy, instantly popping out to everybody. Another item strikes my interest, a silver crown placed on his head. Hopefully, somebody like him can actually manage the weight of a crown. Fitted in the middle of the heavy crown is a blue sapphire that matches almost exactly to his eyes.

"We need to leave now," Osamu tells Sachiko. She nods her head, looking like she can barely even do that without falling over. Without getting the attention of Saitou or the stranger, both of them leave. Mei and Seina are the only ones left, with Seina going stiff and Mei having sparkles in her eyes.

"You need to calm down. This isn't how we should enjoy this game," Seina says, trying her best to hide her shaky voice. Much like Osamu, Seina begins to protect Mei.

"Shut up! You dare wear the mask of somebody impersonating my darling queen! You shall be put to death, does not matter if it's drowning, burning, or some other cruel method. I will make sure that you suffer." After saying his words, whoever this is instead focused on Saitou. He is not even holding the sword correctly. But there is still a hint of something more in his eyes, as the two of them glare at each other, waiting for somebody else to make a move. During these tense moments, I question myself why I do not leave. There is no reason for me to be here, and even by watching I am severely jeopardizing my safety. Yet it feels like something is gluing me to the floor, eager to watch a violent tango between two giants. Both of them are lions, deciding on who gets to survive and doom the other to death or abandonment. Many may argue that abandonment is better than death, yet that does not make sense in my eyes. Death the suffering is done, your existence erased like it never happened. With abandonment, you must live with yourself and all of the horrible decisions made to make it to a palace of solitude. The walls may sparkle, revealing the most beautiful sights, but it does not matter if it is not with somebody else. Humans are social creatures and everybody will go insane without human contact. It matters not on who you are since the human brain is built that way. And there is no way to escape something that is beyond our understanding and control. For members of our own species, we know nothing about what truly makes us human.

"Do not threaten the wonderful maidens you demon, for their beauty is much greater than your dastardly deeds!"

"What's your name, demon dude? I can't believe Hope's Peak got somebody like you." Mei stares in complete whimsy at the two men. She tries to look over Seina but the older girl keeps trying to shove her towards the door.

"You wish to know my human name, you indigent creature? I am Ryoichi Homura, the Ultimate Demonologist. But to all of you foolish mortals, my title is Haagenti!"

* * *

**Ryoichi Homura**

**Ultimate Demonologist**

* * *

Ryoichi is an overly thin man, with skin so pale it is like he has not been outside for a number of years. His eyes are like molten lava, piercings through the soul with the red ferocity. Despite only being a teenager, or I assume so, Ryoichi has a goatee and a mustache. Going all the way down to the floor, Ryoichi has brown hair that sticks out like tentacles. Scars can barely be seen from underneath all of his clothing, with most of them hidden away from the world. The exception is a massive scar on his face, which must be new since it looks like it is still healing and should really have some kind of bandage over it. It is shaped oddly like a cross, starting from the top of his forehead, almost reaching both of his eyes, and ends just above his mustache. Considering his appearance and talent, I would not be surprised if Ryoichi runs a cult. Cults may be horrible, but at least spending your time worshipping Satan is better than trying to destroy the world again with despair.

The demonologist wears a long, flowing black robe with a devil's cross laminated on the back. His shirt is simple and white, having yet another devil's cross design on it. Ryoichi wears brown dress pants with something I cannot recognize leaking from one of his pockets. Stranger yet, Ryoichi wears no shoes, yet his feet are perfectly clean with none of the aforementioned scars. He also wears two red gauntlets. Looking at him, I can feel the approaching flame of a fictional place, threatening to swallow us all whole. A villain eviler than anything laughing at us for all eternity, feasting on our sorrow as we are made to dance for him even after everything in our bodies has given up. There is no solace, only endless suffering far outwaiting our misdeeds. Just like life is unfair, death is, even in the fictional realms of our very own twisted fantasies. Nothing can save your soul, as everything has abandoned you to a fate literally worse than death. How can even one person think such a fate is considered fair? Jesus apparently died for our sins on the cross, yet human suffering his continued. An act as emotional as needless self-sacrifice can only lead to more pain and misery in the end.

"Ryoichi-" Before Saitou could finish his sentence, Ryoichi strikes at him with the sword, but the duelist is not phased as he blocks the sword perfectly. Saitou does not make a move besides blocking all of Ryoichi's messy advances. The two of them circle the entire room, never once taking their eye off the other. During that time, Seina is still trying to get Mei to leave, attempting her hardest to move Mei from the spot she is glued to. But much like a child watching their very first cartoon, Mei cannot keep her eyes off the fight.

"Mei, we should go-"

"This is your punishment for defying my queen! You shall remember to not tarnish her name in her circle of Hell!" Ryoichi, while trying to hit Saitou with another pathetic swing of his sword, pulls the thing from out of his pocket. Getting a better look, I notice that it is a Kusarigama. Saitou tries to stop the chain but is too late, as Ryoichi shows skills of a seasoned professional, and it wraps around Seina's neck.

"Ryoichi, calm down. It is not wise to use a Kusarigama indoors," Saitou calmly explains. He still has his sword pointing at Ryoichi, cold determination in his icy eyes.

"You don't hurt my Nee-san like that!" Without a care in the world, Mei charges at Ryoichi, with Seina trying to stop her but stopped by the chain on her neck. She is struggling to breathe, her fingers trying to pry the cold metal off her neck as much as possible. This would most likely be a good time to do something, yet I do not want to put myself in unneeded danger. So I watch everything play out like this is only some kind of twisted movie. Us Ultimates have to please the masses after all. That is the only use we have in the eyes of the Committee. When she reaches Ryoichi, Mei tries to punch him but is easily stopped with a harsh kick to the stomach. This is why you should not act on anger, all of these people are being incredibly stupid right now. I could point that out but that will probably end with a sword in my heart and I do not need to explain why I do not want that.

"Mei!" Seina shouts. Ryoichi is once again focused on everybody else, and, against my better judgment, I decide to intervene. I work fast to unwrap the chain around Seina's neck, with her desperately gasping for breathe the moment it is off. "Thanks."

"The other girl here, run out of here! I refuse to cause the death of yet another blossoming flower. With my talent, I can take myself fine, but not all of you!" Saitou commands. Mei actually does what she is told, running the fastest I have seen anybody go and getting out of the door before Seina or me. Seina is the next to go. After this, we should see if there is somewhere to go for medical supplies. But something keeps me here, calling to me as if I am a moth and it a flame. Once again, Saitou and Ryoichi glare at me, waiting for a move from somebody not even in their game. A game of chess where I am the unwilling party who refuses to leave. Maybe some part of my brain still wants to see chaos, to see what the so-called truth the Master preaches is a reality.

"What are you doing, madam? Escape with the sea and stars!" I have long given up on trying to understand what any of my classmates mean.

"I am a man-"

"Beast, do not lay your eyes off me for a second!"

"You were the one who attacked a defenseless damsel! As a charming prince, it is my duty to protect the people of my land and everybody else's."

"If you are a prince, then so am I! And you have broken every rule in the queen's kingdom!" Not wanting to deal with any more of the nonsense, I leave the room. Everybody I have met today is acting like they are preschoolers in the medieval years. Nobody else is in the hallway so they must be investigating or hiding somewhere else. Now it is time to finally stop wasting time and get the answer to a simple question. Why are we here? There are eight billion other things flowing through my head, yet that is the most important one.

Jumping into the rabbit hole, I cannot return back to the land of reality. Nothing is safe, including my own mind. Everything is silent but loud, invading my eardrums with violent, untuned melodies. But there is only one way to go, down the yellow brick road. It might not make sense yet we have to continue onward, to either our salvation or damnation. In the end, there is nothing but plastic promises, so badly made that they get destroyed by just blowing on them. Humans may think that we like to keep promises...but that is a lie since we will throw them out the second that they prove not to be useful for us. Selfishness runs through our veins, like how the yellow brick road runs through Oz. Though this is not Oz, this is a land that is in between the realms of existence and nothingness. In Oz there is a happy ending, the witch dies and the heroes survive. Nothing is like that in this realm, for the games they play have only one ending in mind. The villains shall always win because the heroes are nothing more than their puppets, thinking they have free will but unable to see their invisible strings.

Welcome to wonderland.

* * *

**Welcome to the world of my shitty prose more like.**

**Haha, my chapters are so much longer now. And better. Goddamn have I improved as a writer throughout these years of writing the saga.**

**If your characters look a bit different, that's for plot. Because I'm insane. Somebody stop me. Seriously, this story will probably make all of us go insane. Turns out that was the Master's plan from the beginning. We're all suffering.**

**Sorry this took so long. As those on Discord know, my life kinda turned into a living Hell in June. But now that everything is returning to normal, there should be more updates. :) Just know that my family is...complicated.**

**Reviews~ (doing the ones of the last chapters of LPoD here too since I got nowhere else to do them)**

**LPoD:**

**TheUnkindledHunter-It certainly is...something. Please stop me now. Himura is Himura. ;) Thanks so much. :D**

**tobi-is-an-artist-too-Etsuko will not, except if you prove to be entertaining for her. You officially exist in the saga now Tobi, which means you'll suffer. Thanks so much! :D HYPE IT UP!**

**Scissor-Snipper-What a wonderful thing to wake up to, seeing everybody getting brutally murdered.**

**TheRoseShadow21-*screeches with you* Thanks so much. It's only the first chapter and things have turned to Hell. *gets stabbed by Ryoichi* DONT YOU DARE INSULT HELL LIKE THAT (I swear Ryoichi is the one forcing me to go through Intro Hell)**

**Ziggymia123-Thanks so much, I worked very hard on Shiro's execution. You're going to be executed if you call her that, Ziggy. Somebody give Emilynn a hug, she needs it. Oh, I got evil things planned for everybody here.**

**DiOS:**

**PainX65-Thanks so much, hopefully, I live up to the hype. Yep, Mei Yamazaki is the mastermind. Now for me to actually do reviews that don't suck for once.**

**TheUnkindledHunter-Thanks. :D I love making my stories as absolutely insane as possible. Himura will continue to be Himura. Well, here's the next chapter finally.**

**Ziggymia123-Time for chaosssssssssssssss**

**tobi-is-an-artist-too-HERE WE GO AGAIN IN SPACEEEEEEEEEEEEE WALKING DOWN THE ONLY ROAD I EVER KNOW LIKE AN ULTIMATE I WAS BORN TO BE ALONE...I don't know what I'm doing with this song parody. But I'm keeping it. Y'all can use it for blackmail later.**

**Prince PokePersona-Welcome to DiOS, we got suffering thanks to you and Tobi. No problem, there were a lot of cool OCs that didn't get accepted the first time around. Oh my God, I don't know what it is with DiOS and we constantly getting character names wrong. XD How did I get Natsu out of Keiji?**

**AnonChan1-I mean, Etsuko and Himura didn't die either. XD Poor Sachiko has the fate of the Committee Saga cinnamon roll. Yep, Shiro is transgender. I think all Despairs are prone to sexual assault so stay very far away from them. Yep, Mei is the mastermind. I look forward to writing more of this chaos. Oh my God, I love my crazy children.**

**Scissor-Snipper-Hopefully they'll die even more brutally! :D**

**VioEli-REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Now you'll officially part of my hellish Discord. Sachiko got straight up tortured and it was amazing. Emilynn will save us all with her religion of the Bee Movie. Himura is Himura. ;) Somebody protect Shiro from the Master, he needs it. And I'm sure as Hell not gonna help him. Etsuko is amazing and she'll make everybody suffer.**

**Lupus Overkill-I'll say nothing about that little theory of yours. ;) Shiro is the only sane person on this spaceship. Mei is now back to her crazy self and I blame Seina. Thank you so much. :D**

**KananMari-Good luck trying to steal Mei's talent. Hopefully, she won't force you into a Killing Game before you do so. Who knows? There are a lot of new potential best girls. But Emilynn is Emilynn and nobody can truly defeat the greatest meme queen.**


	3. Prologue 0-2

**Prologue 0-2: Bury All the Records in the Backyard**

Beta read by Lupus Overkill

* * *

_Drip._

_Everything is worth it._

_Drip._

_Nothing I have done is wrong._

_Drip._

_Just don't tell anyone, alright?_

_Drip._

_Nobody will understand._

_Drip._

_I truly do love you with all my heart._

_Drip._

_But love is meaningless in this world._

_Drip._

_Especially in the face of..._

_Drop._

_..._

_But then I remember..._

_It's your blood spilling onto these floors._

* * *

Nobody is here. It is pure mystery and emptiness. Everything is too quiet, especially considering there is a fight going on literally in the room behind me. It is so quiet that I hear my own breathing and the sight changes with my heartbeat. Although I am presumably calm, my heart struggles inside my chest, as if it is trying to crawl out of its prison.

But there is nothing but space, where I too try to get out of my endless jail cell. Banging on the bars, nothing can be heard yet the miserable screams of the invisible voices as they are doomed to execution and then forgotten by history. They get buried in the backyard, their makeshift graves so rushed that some of their rotting flesh can still be seen. Much like the records of my youth, smashed and torn to pieces as they rot into nothing more than dirt. All of our lives do not matter as, by the end of it all, every single one of us is just going to be dirt. Dirt that gets destroyed by the collapsing universe as the whole painful cycle of life recycles, again and again, never getting bored by all the horrible decisions human beings keep making for the sake to satisfy some emotional need.

Nothing brings what humans call happiness. There is only meaningless pleasure filling the endless void of one's soul. Sex, drugs, hope, despair...they all fulfill the same purpose. Running away from the truth in a pitiful attempt to find some kind of meaning. Yet meaning is too emotional to actually exist in the real world.

"New friend!" Snapping me out of my thoughts, I feel something weird but strangely expected with this strange cast of colorful characters. Somebody has jumped on me and started hugging me. Truly, it is not a smart move to do this to a stranger, as I could easily take advantage of him in this situation.

"You're going to die if you keep doing that," another person comments. It is a woman this time. Finally somebody with some sort of sanity.

"I'm very excited to meet you! My name is Keiji Inukami, Ultimate Dog Walker! Nice to meet you!" Still hugging me, I cannot see much else because of how big he is compared to me. This only makes me wish to be taller, yet I know this is a useless wish since I am fully grown and do not want to be the subject of more unethical experiments.

* * *

**Keiji Inukami**

**Ultimate Dog Walker**

* * *

Something is...off. I cannot place the feeling, as it is much like my emotions about so many of my fellow students beforehand. I am not stupid enough to believe such a thing as fate, but maybe this is why so many people are misguided by the snakes feeding them poison apples. The poison makes the world happier even when it is eating away at everything that makes you a human. These fools keep eating the apples, being blinded by the emotions that they throw away what truly matters in the world. People take strange things to feel normal, not fully realizing that normalcy is a lie that they have created themselves, as some sort of weird self-fulfilling prophecy.

Keiji himself is...interesting. It is impractical to spend this much time on appearance since it never truly shows who you truly are, but it is too tiring to constantly correct people on their stupidity. Why waste time on people who will never allow themselves to listen? The boy has messy long hair colored blue which I cannot tell whether or not it will be technically considered a mullet. But it is not important to learn such useless fashion terms, especially since a lot of my sisters can already do that for me. Yet they are not truly part of my life anymore. It will be nothing but a waste of time to try to repair those broken bonds, as they were made to be fragile in the first place. All human connections are, as humans are selfish and will throw anybody, including those most important to them, away in a heartbeat for their own personal gain. Focusing on the present, Keiji has soft, hazel eyes. The type of eyes that can reveal the very best and worse of humanity.

Continuing on with his appearance, Keiji has a dark beard. Some of his bodily hair looks strangely like fur, with the dark cooper blue fur-like substance (I surely hope the Committee has not found a way to give humans fur yet) covering some of his arms. Even with his round face, Keiji has a large body because of how muscular he is. No doubt that he can easily scare away people who judge others on appearance, but I have grown too used to being around people like Keiji. Looking closely, I notice a few calluses on his palms and faint scars on his arms. Though what truly stands is his painted black nose, standing out contrasted to his tanned complexion.

For his outfit, the outlandish boy wears a tight sleeveless dark brown and white tank top. There is a cute puppy on the front of the shirt. Very cute. He wears baggy dark blue cargo pants with too many pockets to be truly functional. Light blue and white dog-shaped slippers that look comfortable but hard to walk in and probably not part of any school's dress code hide his feet. Around his neck, Keiji wears a dark red collar that has a golden pendant, which is in the shape of a dog print, attached. Attached to a black headband, Keiji wears a pair of brown floppy dog ears. One of the ears, I believe the right, is slightly bent to an angle. Keiji also has a dog tail, able to be possible because it is attached to the black belt around his waist. The boy also wears a blue bracelet around his left wrist that has a silver paw print hanging from it. On his hands, there are dark blue fingerless gloves, exposing his fake black dog nails.

In conclusion, Keiji likes dogs. And is somehow adorable while being kinda unsettling. But that is too emotional for me to think, although this strange boy must be good at bringing the best and worst in people.

"You can stop just looking at us and actually strike up a conversation," the girl comments. She smirks as she crosses her arms.

Looking up, I cannot believe that I have not noticed it. I even made comments about his head, so why did I overlook something so big? Must be all the stress of whatever is happening on this spaceship getting to me. Once I get some time to myself, I should at least try to meditate. There is no reason to get myself panicked over everything that is happening. Of course, there is something bigger going on, but that is outside of my control, and I should not easily give in to what the kidnappers or whoever want. Clearly, it has to do something with emotion. Perhaps they mean to measure such things as our shock, sadness, anger, etc. But I will not give another person the pleasure of becoming their best subject. Mostly because it is a waste of my precious time.

But, anyway, that is not what is important. Because what truly should take all my attention is what is resting on top of Keiji's head. There is a Shiba-Inu and Pomeranian mixed puppy. He matches Keiji, having brown and white soft fur. He wears a dark red bandana around his neck.

I must resist having a reaction. Whoever is doing this must be putting animals in here alongside us for a reason. Nothing good will happen in this environment with these animals here. Even though I hate cats, I am worried about Pon-chan's survival as well. After all, that would greatly decrease morale if something serious was going to happen. But I cannot help myself, as humanity seems to have been made to be weak. Ever since the big bang, every step of the universe has led to the point of every single human being nothing more than lovesick fools.

Dogs do not have the same problems as humans, or cats for that matter. Although it might be the last of my childhood innocence screaming out to me to save the fires of my youth, dogs are what some people would call pure. There are no bad dogs, after all, just bad people. The only reason I have not gotten a dog is that I am a horrible person. Nothing pure deserves to be associated with me. But sometimes I cannot help it, the feelings I have bottled up for so long breach onto the surface, and I make an utter fool of myself.

"Oh my God, you're so cute! Awwwww who's a good boy?" I say. It is almost like my body has gone on autopilot. Yet I cannot help it, as humans have some kind of psychological need to act this way of all things not corrupted by this cruel world.

"Not another dog person," the girl sighs. "First I have to deal with dog cosplayer that won't leave me alone, now I've to deal with composer lady-"

"I am a man-"

"Oh, composer man! Wait, how are you a dude!? You're prettier than I am with my most expensive makeup!" The lady just stares at me but I do not care. Some people will react like that. In fact, I am surprised that nobody has done anything overly harmful. The first time my father by blood figured out, he already kicked me out of the house, leaving me with absolutely nothing. But perhaps that is more a generational gap than anything. That is when I learned that you can never be too careful, and, even if you take all the steps you possibly can, the truth will one day come out. Nothing can remain hidden forever.

"My sweetie is a good boy! Do you want to play with him?" Keiji's eyes sparkle. "Just make sure you're not a baddie! We can both be tenacious! Arf arf arf arf!" Kobi barks and I must resist the urge to melt. This is a serious situation and I do not have the time to be carried away by dogs. I have already allowed myself to show weakness, which will only hurt me in the end. But it is not my fault that Kobi is so cute.

"..." Must resist the cute. It will only lead to horrible things. Whoever is behind this can easily use the dog as an exploit. One of the easiest psychological manipulation tricks in the book. "Oh, yes, you're a good boy! Oh yes, you are!" Dammit. Something inside me makes it impossible to resist to dogs. Perhaps it is some hidden paternal instinct left over? Trying to solve the psychology of myself is pointless since I highly doubt I have any experience in the field that would be trustworthy. Does not help that psychologists are not to be trusted nowadays.

I cannot reach the puppy, though the puppy stares at me with what seems to be judgmental eyes. But there is no way that a dog can be that expressive, so perhaps it is my mind trying to play tricks on me. Although I can just ask Keiji to sit down, or an action similar to that, I do not want to give in to the temptation of doing so. I must try to distance myself than the puppy as much as possible since even something as small as this can lead to me somehow becoming a puppet of some greater power. Those who rule will use anyways necessary to make sure that their subjects stay in line.

"Seems like I'm gonna be stuck with you as well," the girl notes. "Next thing you know, the whole ship is going to be filled with a bunch of crazy dog people."

"Excuse me for the...improper display, but my name is Shiro Amari. The Ultimate Composer. May I ask what your name is, madam?"

"Choumi Sokudo, I wouldn't expect someone like you to have heard of me, I'm not so special unlike you, I'm the Ultimate Courier, got a problem with that?"

* * *

**Choumi Sokudo**

**Ultimate Courier**

* * *

Other than her attitude problem, the first thing about Choumi that sticks out to me is her maroon hair. It is quite messy, with it flaring at the bottom near her waistline, and her having a side-swept fringe. Strands of hair stick out everywhere, making me have to resist the urge to put everything back into place. She has purple, round eyes that stick out when compared to her expressive, thin eyebrows. Her pale body is quite thin but has the beginnings of some muscles, especially on her legs, though not as much as Keiji's. Almost like the universe has a sense of irony, Choumi has a heart-shaped head. Everything about her is flat as well, with there being almost no curves to speak of.

Choumi wears a peach cream button-up blouse. Over the shirt, there is an unzipped dark red bicycle jacket. Due to Choumi moving to flip her hair in the most overly expressive way possible, I am able to see that on the back there is a logo in black and blue saying 'Sokudo Express.' She wears black exercise leggings underneath her bright red knife-pleated miniskirt. White and blue bicycles shoes are on her feet, nicely complemented by black socks. A dark blue newsboy cap rests on top of Choumi's head, favoring the right side, and has a white heart in the front. Two blue flower clips are over her bangs on the left side of her face. On her right wrist, there is a silver cuff bracelet with red rubies. Resting around her shoulders, there is a brown satchel bag.

Choumi is much like a flame, threatening to burn down everything yet needed to make sure everything survives. I do not know how I got that impression, yet everything burns inside me. Meanwhile, although he is the opposite of what most people think of, Keiji is like the water, full of life and energy but can be used against you. Both have hidden depths and I am not quite sure I can trust them like everybody else.

"I've already just met you and I can tell that for sure you're as big of an idiot as the infamous dog cosplayer himself. There are so many idiots around here. Like there was this one guy who wouldn't shut up about how theatre is the best shit ever. It's unbelievable that some of you are still alive in the Hellhole the world is today!" Choumi and Keiji already seem like they are not the most useful people to have around. The best Choumi would be good for is perhaps something athletic, or maybe she would be a good pawn if provoked to act in a certain manner. Keiji's use would be for morale even though many can find him scary at first. Mostly because his dog is so cute.

"But we're fun, Choumi. Woof, woof." Looking at her, the puppy does not have the same face. Instead, the puppy has his tongue out, happily minding his own business.

"Oh. I didn't mean to intrude...maybe I should just return with that weird massage guy..." Surprisingly us all, we see that there is another woman with us. I do not know how long she has been there. But, then again, the three of us are just standing in a random hallway, so it should have been a given somebody would run into us eventually. In fact, a part of me is shocked that we did not get another visitor sooner. But it seems like whoever bought us here is gradually releasing us than doing it all at the same time. My guess is that they do not want too many people in the same place until whatever they are preparing is truly ready. Or they do not want chaos, but that has already failed considering the state of Saitou and Ryoichi. By the state of things, I will predict that Ryoichi and Saitou were released first. Is there any meaning in the order, however? At this point, it is uncertain.

"Look, another new friend! At this rate, we can throw a whole party with everybody else!"

"Somebody will die-"

"Of fun!"

"Um...nobody should die?"

Being the first person I really did not feel any weird sort of connection with (though Seina was weaker than the others, maybe there is something...pulling me to her), the new girl is foreign. If I have to guess, she is either Danish, Czech, German, or maybe even Novoselic. It is rare to see people from that region of Europe since it mostly got destroyed in the Tragedy. Most likely her parents are refugees. Although, due to many factors such as interracial relationships, it is getting harder to tell people's nationality by looking at them, as I have seen Japanese people with natural hair colors from blonde to purple. I have read somewhere that we have so many unique hair colors now due to some kind of radioactive outbreak way before the times of the Tragedy, but there is no way to know if it is true or not.

Onto the stranger herself, she has thick, blonde hair tied up in a messy bun. Once again, I have to fight back my urge to fix up her hair. Dark brown eyes are hidden behind a pair of black-thick rimmed glasses made of possibly cheap plastic. She has olive skin that looks a little oily in some spots but otherwise well taken care of, way better than Choumi's. Because of her exposed shoulders, a large, dark beauty mark that covers it can be seen. Everything about her face is sharp and defined, and she is more filled out compared to the other girls.

She looks like she got up and just put on whatever was closest to her or clean, at least there are not any stains on her clothing like a lot of my siblings. The stranger wears light grey jeans with a black, studded belt. For her shirt, the girl wears a black tank top with a symbol in front of it. If I paid more attention to current trends I would probably know what it is, but, at this point, I do not see the point of keeping up with media such as television and video games. Onto the point, the mascot is a purple and pink cat with a smile I personally find to be creepy (though I really should not feel that way, it is literally just a fictional character). This girl has a bracelet much like Keiji and Choumi, with it being on her right wrist and made of amethyst beads. Looking closer, I realize that this girl does not have any shoes on. That has to be completely unhealthy. At least it is healthier than say, stealing shoes from a dead corpse. Sort of weird that is where my mind first goes, but it is still true. After all, weird is not something I really care about, since it is only a useless word society throws around to make people limit their progress out of fear.

"Madame, I do not know your name-"

"..." Looking up, something causes the new girl to fear up and start slowly backing away from all of us. I wonder what can cause such a reaction, so I look at her train of sight and see the dog, still wagging his tail because of Choumi. This will be a problem, hopefully, there will be somebody more capable of solving it. It does not take a genius to realize I am not the best with these sort of matters. More effort should be put into making sure they do not happen in the first place than solving it after all the solution usually takes time out of everything for everybody involved.

"Relax, Kobi will not hurt you-"

"Wait, what? Am I hearing things or did you just know Kobi's name without this idiot telling you?" Moving faster than I ever could, Choumi gets right up in my face. Though I do not blame her since there really should not be any way I have access to that information. Perhaps I meet them before and forgot, my memory has never been the best. That is why I usually bring a notebook with me, but, for some reason, whoever did this took it away along with my bag, while deciding to let Seina and Choumi keep theirs. Maybe my horrible memory is why I am getting all sort of weird feelings.

"What do you think, Kobi? Should we trust him or is Shiro a villain?" This is not a good situation. There must be an explanation for this. But, no matter how hard I think, my mind cannot decide on anything. Everything is blank. The dilemma itself is a canvas and I the painter, unable to continue on with my painting due to a block in my creativity. But, when all other solutions fail, I cannot admit defeat, which means I have to come up with a convincing lie.

"Okay, I'm just going to get out of here. Very far away. And lock myself in my room." Without any of us following her, the stranger walks away. Truly that is an action that makes a lot of sense since she cannot help in this situation.

"Um...what's going on? I have a bad feeling about this." As if this cannot get any more awkward, Sachiko is now somehow in this conversation as well. I really have to pay more attention to who is coming and going in this hallway, considering that this is a very public place. We really should move somewhere more private like one of the rooms. Pon-chan is in her arms, and I can already feel my nose start to tickle.

"Shiro here has to explain why he is being so goddamn creepy." Choumi gets even closer to my face. My personal space has far been breached, with her being so close that I can feel her breath. A part of me wants to push her away, but that will not only give her a win, it will also improve tensions between us. Sachiko does not need to be dragged into our own petty personal drama. Though I do not see why such a big deal is being made, pointing that out will not improve things with two people that are emotional creatures.

"Wait for me, Sachiko!" Osamu comes running after her.

"Osamu, you should not come here!" Sachiko warns. But it is too late. Keiji and Osamu make eye contact, with Choumi too focused on me to pay attention to her other surroundings. The pure hatred in their eyes in more than enough to tell the whole story, with Kobi starting to growl at Osamu, completely ignoring the easy prey of the cat. Realizing something is wrong, Choumi finally gets out of my face, and immediately notices Osamu. She begins to glare at him as well, causing an uneasy silence. Everything is so quiet that I can faintly hear the sounds of Saitou and Ryoichi fighting.

Breaking the silence, Choumi loudly stomps towards Osamu. She then flips him off while being directly in his face like me before. "Don't go anywhere near Keiji or I, you fucking piece of shit. Come on, Keiji, we're leaving. We can question creepy composer dude later." Choumi and Keiji both leave without a single other word, Kobi still growling at Osamu as they do so.

"We should go too, Sachiko." Much like a father handling his daughter, Osamu drags Sachiko somewhere else. I do not pay attention to any of them. The drama does not interest me, as much as whatever faulty thing is happening to my memory. It is like my mind is an outline for a book, things being changed and deleted as the creator deems fit. Though, if that were true, who would be considered the creator? Even with all my memories, I cannot recall anything like this happening to my mind. Maybe the stress of my entire life is finally catching up to me, the Master's words finally becoming true, and my last bits of sanity are clinging desperately onto the ledge for just one more day to survive. That is not truly accepting everything, however, as I am not what most people would consider sane.

These thoughts are like a poison, and I desperately wish to turn them off. But there is no way to perform such a feat, for I am stuck with myself for the rest of my short life. Unknown to everybody, I have experienced so much stress that I have started to grey. It takes forever to color in the roots, but I do not need the Committee finding yet another reason to perform experiments on me. That is why people should be logical because I would not be in this situation in the first place if I thought for one second. I would have my own life, have an actual sane family and be able to actually take care of children, and a job still involving composing, but for music and not so many other things I wish I can take back...

Shiro, you are spiraling again. That is not wise. Remove everything and focus on the current situation. The past does not matter anymore.

Considering nobody else are in these halls, that I know of, it would be best to explore one of the rooms not being currently used by two people that should probably visit the psych unit. Osamu mentioned something about the storage unit beforehand so it is best to know what we have in stock. Considering we are in space with no clear out right now, it is best to monitor the supplies and make sure that we do not run out.

* * *

Entering the storage room, I see that it is rather...random. It looks more like a maze than anything, with me looking at some of the shelves and finding the weirdest of things together. There are also several car generators dangerously close to falling off which is a clear hazard. Whoever set up this spaceship clearly does not care about safety, also proven by the two most eccentric personas I have run into having literal weapons with them. Strangely enough, the floor is an old light brown carpet that somehow does not look out of place or dated. Whoever worked on this room must have serious talent, since this should clearly not work. Especially since all the walls look like they come from a children's book, bright blue and covered with many different mascots smiling and having fun with each other. Weirdest of all, the light is only lit by one object, a giant chandelier. The chandelier is way too big for the setup, considering it is resting on some of the weirdly placed brown shelves.

Breaking me out of my trance, I have somebody come up to me and clap in my face. "Didn't see that coming did ya? Unforeseen Number Seventeen strikes again!" She has a wide smile on her face. Something is weird about the way that she is acting, but I have no idea why I keep experiencing these feelings. For sure, I have not seen her before, as she is clearly dressed as an athlete, a group I usually do not socialize with. It is not like I have anything against athletes, but our paths rarely cross outside of me performing sometimes during their shows.

"What is your name, then?" I ask her. Even with her rather unusual introduction, she seems to be saner than a lot of other people here. "My name is Shiro Amari and the title given to me by Hope's Peak is Ultimate Composer."

"I'm Captain Asuka Takano, Ultimate Volleyball Player," Asuka winks at me. "But...you can call me whatever you want." Not even a second later, Asuka cannot help herself from breaking into laughter. "Okay okay, even I didn't see how horrible that was going to be! But really, it's a pleasure to meet you! You seem really chill, we should talk more and maybe I'll show you an unforeseen trick or two."

* * *

**Asuka Takano**

**Ultimate Volleyball Player**

* * *

Asuka's awkward smile shows off her prominent dimples. For her body, Asuka has tan skin and a muscular complexion. The girl's jawline is sharp, along with everything on her face making her look more like she is in her late twenties than a highschool student. Her eyes are a dark blue, almost black, reminding me much of the ocean in its darkest depths. Like a lot of other girls I have met today, Asuka has messy hair, though it looks like it is more due to exercising than not putting in the effort since it still looks healthy. Wavy, thick red hair goes everywhere, with most of it being tied in a loose high ponytail. It is fairly long, with the hair just being in a ponytail reaches to her thighs. Though Asuka is simple, she is unique, as I have never seen somebody that looks remotely like her. She looks like the type of person who spends a lot of her time on the beaches since they have gotten a lot better since I was a child. Would not be surprised if Asuka can do other sports such as swimming. But, like all Ultimates, she has to be typecast into one talent, as it is easier to control her future and actions that way. Who needs somebody with free will when you can just have another version of you?

Starting at the bottom with her shoes, Asuka wears black and white tennis shoes. Her dark blue socks are noticeable considering they cover about half of her calves. The shorts she has on are black fitting spandex that has Hope's Peak Academy's school crest on the bottom left hem in white ink. Her top is a white jersey-sweatshirt that touches right above her bottoms. There is a dark blue logo printed on the sweatshirt, which a volleyball. Standing out like a sore thumb, Asuka wears a golden necklace that looks like it is an engraving of the big dipper. Once again, stars are not my strong suit, but this situation I am now most likely trapped in will probably make me learn more about them.

"Come on, there are the others to introduce you too. Sure hope you don't mind a whole lot of sports talents. I was really worried that I would be the only one but turns out I'm not."

"That would be useful," I comment. After all, muscle is needed, knowing that is a personal area I lack in. Asuka also seems to be fairly smart, for it is hard to be an athlete in this world, especially a captain.

Walking further into the maze of the storage area, I only get more confused about whoever designed not only this room but this entire ship. The Committee is clearly not behind this since they would not accept such foolishness. Even if the Committee tried to make another space ship, the world would be in an uproar since there has not been one made successfully since the Tragedy. I may not know that much about space but I highly doubt the ships from the past looked absolutely nothing like this. It will only be possible by an organization that has access to countries worth of fortune and supplies. There is no way that they will be able to hide something from the whole world, right?

Onto the shelves themselves, I see even more random things. There are even more hazards, such as shot put balls put on the top and many other heavy sports supplies like bowling balls. Boxes are on the bottom shelves for many childish things, such as Lego sets and Barbies funhouses. In the middle, there are actually useful items even though their order is random. There are even some of the tissue boxes that Osamu gave to help me. This weird sorting method must have taken more time than usual, not to mention that it is not even effective. At least there is a pattern to the madness, as humans truly are creatures of habit.

"Hey, we got another poor soul!" Asuka calls out to somebody. Examining what looks like more sports equipment, but more like nets and rackets and such things, there is another man. First thing I notice is how tall he is, being around Keiji's height. He is observing everything with a concerned stare, only broken by Asuka's voice.

"Great, another one," the man lightly chuckles. "Yo, stranger, I'm Renkou Tenkubashi, Ultimate Basketball Player. What's up?"

* * *

**Renkou Tenkubashi**

**Ultimate Basketball Player**

* * *

Renkou has a complexion that is between olive and fair, and, much like Asuka, has a muscular body, slightly more so than Asuka's. There are a few calluses and bruises on his hands, most likely caused by basketball. I do not want to think about the other alternatives. Much like a lot of other people I have bumped into on this ship, Renkou has a sharp jawline. His face is diamond-oval shaped, being the host of his long, upturned nose and pink, thin lips. His eyes are small and a strangely alluring dark red color, reminding me of blood. He has hair that is also messy, with it being black and somewhat slicked back. The hair is slightly on the long side and spiked, reaching just below his ears.

Renkou has on a dark red jersey with black stripes, with the number three being written in black in the middle of it. Above the number, there is the word "ducks". When he goes back to examine the rest of the shelf, I can see the back of his outfit. There is once again the number three can be clearly seen, but this time it is bigger, filling up most of the space. With the space not filled, the name Tenkubashi can be seen. In his hands, there is a hoodie, since it is sort of hot in this room. I am surprised that Asuka has not taken off her sweatshirt since even I am thinking about removing my jacket. The hoodie that Renkou has in his hands is a dark blue one that looks to be on the looser side. There is another clothing item in his hand, a grey blazer. I am not surprised he got overheated in this room with that many layers. For his bottoms, Renkou wears dark grey jeans. He wears black socks and dark blue and white basketball shoes. Around his neck, I notice that Renkou wears a black leather-like necklace. For his earrings, Renkou has on silver rings around his left earlobe.

"I'm finally with somebody that can serve something else other than balls."

"Oh please, I don't only serve volleyballs," Asuka smirks. She then dramatically poses. "I'm also serving looks!" Instead of saying anything, Renkou only rolls his eyes and continues with what he is doing.

"Is there anybody else here? It will be best to keep track of everyone," I comment. Asuka and Renkou will be good allies with first impressions, considering they have not tried to kill anybody yet or go on rants about their delusions. Even if they turn out to not be smart, they will be useful tools. Tools are what is truly needed to survive in this cruel life.

"Yeah, he's exploring something else. We should see how he's doing, RenRen~"

"I am going to ignore that." With that, Renkou meets up again with Asuka and I. The three of us continue down into the maze. The further we get, I see that it gets more dangerous and wacky. There are chainsaws and bombs on the top shelves, staring down on us waiting for somebody to make a wrong move and claim a victim. We will have to do something to make this room safer if we are forced to stay here for a long period of time.

Renkou and Asuka exchange friendly chatter but I do not listen, for it is not important to hear more of their horrible jokes. It is better to think about how I can use them since their position as possible celebrities outside of our prison can help the sales of my own shows. We are all human, we are all pawns in somebody else's game. Believing in the kindness of strangers is something only utter fools do. Strangers are humans, humans are horrible things, which means they will only ever want to gain something from you. Selfless people are nothing but delusional martyrs who cannot come to terms that they do not truly exist.

It only takes us a few minutes to get to the other man. He does not seem to have noticed us yet, examining what seems to be a boxed dancing game. He is quite different from Renkou and Asuka, though in some places similar.

The boy is feminine, with his build being almost impossibly curvy for a man. He has a subtle amount of muscle that most people do not realize, especially in his legs, yet still has a seemingly fragile, small body. I get the feeling that he knows my pain of being commonly mistaken as a woman, which is good since that means we will have common ground. He has a heart-shaped face and delicate pink lips. His eyes are upturned and lavender, matching nicely with his mint green hair. The bangs he has are slightly tidy, covering much of his forehead. For his main hairstyle, the man wears his long hair in a braid hanging on his left side. However, what stands out the most about the man is his makeup, having four red slashes on his face. Two slashes each on his left and right cheeks, making him look somewhat exotic and intriguing.

Showing lots of skin, he wears a tight dark grey tank top under a slightly transparent jazz dance top that is black. The jazz top acts mainly as ribbons that tie around his entire body, mainly his arms and the top over him looking as if it were intentionally cut into holes. On the bottom, he wears white jeans that match nicely with his black sneakers. Over his neck, he has on a ruby necklace. His ears are fitted with stunning golden earrings that make him sparkle.

"Look at him, KaiKai, he's not that bad looking!"

"What does RenRen think?"

"That's something you've to think for yourself. I don't understand what game you're playing."

"But you look so cute! I love your lips. They're so plump and full. It makes me want to kiss them, y'know?" Without even knowing his name, I get a feeling that this one can possibly become a problem as well. I have dealt with enough people like him to know that they cause nothing but trouble. They only want what is best for them, which is true for all of humanity, but they certainly have...different methods for getting what they personally desire. And the weird...deja vu, perhaps?...comes back, screaming at me to run.

"Another cutie pie like RenRen. I can't wait!" the boy exclaims as he turns to face us. The moment he fully registers who I am, his normally olive skin turns white.

"...Einosuke, is that you? You silly bean, we've been looking everywhere for you!" Quickly changing his mood, Kaimaru...wait, what...the man smiles. Einosuke does sound familiar, which is probably because it is my blood father's name.

"Excuse me, but you seem to be mistaken. My name is Shiro Amari, Ultimate Composer. I must look like whoever this Einosuke person is."

"Turns out this ship is filled with sexy men. Let me introduce myself then. Well, sweetie, my name is whatever you want it to be, but by birth, it is Kaimaru Aburaya. I'm the Ultimate Dancer and will happily serve you. Charmed to meet you~"

* * *

**Kaimaru Aburaya**

**Ultimate Dancer**

* * *

"Who is this Einosuke if you do not mind my asking?"

"Just a friend of mine that went missing and most likely dead. You know, that's fairly common nowadays. The Committee sure sucks at everything," Kaimaru states without hesitation. That was surprisingly easy to get out of him.

"Alright, let's change the subject! We should investigate more!"

"I agree with Asuka," Renkou replies. Efficiently shutting Kaimaru and me up, Renkou leads us through the rest of the maze, with Asuka following closely behind him. If they try to do anything to me, I will be screwed since they all will easily overpower me. Although I could have been strong, I highly doubt it will be smart to accept anything offered by Kotori, though I have so many times. Death does not erase everything that an individual does, even though I find myself hoping that could be a reality. But I must learn that nothing will ever be that easy. Nobody can ever escape Kotori Hiraoka once they get trapped in her web.

Eventually, Asuka, Renkou, and Kaimaru stop, examining the box of what seems to be mini playsets for every single one of their talents. Then I look around and see that there are playsets for everybody I have met, and clearly ones for the ones that I have yet to meet. There is even 'Baby's First Blood Sacrifice' for Ryoichi. Mine is a concert menu made for dolls, with toys included inside. Songs are premade for the instruments, including a lot of the classics from famous names like Mozart and Beethoven. Mine stick out like a sore thumb, especially since they are all from the beginning of my career. Although there are many reasons I do not perform original music anymore, the main is simple greed, they do not sell as much as the Committee indulging the same sound, trying to trick many others into thinking that they are more proper than they originally seem.

..._Eimu's Rapture..._

It takes all my strength to not destroy the box right then and there. There is no reason to do something so brash. That is a thing of the past, and I have already dealt with it the best I could.

..._Hana's Happiness..._

_"Promise me, that we'll never be apart," Eimu smiles. But that smile fades until the nothingness. Since that smile never existed. Nothing about Eimu ever existed. But they refuse to get out of my head, screaming for me to finally listen to them. To go back. Yet I can never go back, no matter what. I have already left everything I ever loved there, including my own bleeding heart._

Those fuckers.

...Once again, it is not time to get so emotional. This would be a good time to just step away and take a breather. Clearly, this is placed here for a reaction, even though I do not see such a reaction from Renkou, Asuka, and Kaimaru. It can be a possibility that they are targeting me with that attack, but maybe the others are better at hiding their feelings than I realize. They do not seem to be paying attention to me, so I take this option to walk down the path I believe we were taking beforehand.

* * *

It turns out that is not the path we were taking beforehand. For the last ten minutes, I have been fruitlessly trying to find my way back. It would be logical next time to make some sort of trail. Maybe somewhere in this storage room, I can find a new bag and notebook, and hopefully a pen that has not dried out yet. Even now, I struggle to figure out why people do not perform such a simple action like putting a cap back on a pen. Humanity is the most stupid animal on the planet, we have just the arrogance to assume we are the best at everything. Yet we keep destroying ourselves and our surroundings, while the animals we share the Earth with have never done such a thing.

Walking through the maze for even more time, I wonder if anybody is worried about me. But that is such a stupid thought. Of course not, the people on the ship have no idea who I truly am, and nobody back home cares about me except for possibly Kazuhiko and Ayano. Yet this maze is something I cannot truly get out of since it expands further than the ship. One of these days I have to find the dead end, and then finally there will be a chance for the pain to stop. Yet that a troublesome thought, as it can never be true, as all the universe is nothing but this cruel maze. We keep getting promises that there is some sort of exit, but there is nothing, as the entrance is a place we cannot access anymore due to our misdeeds. One day somebody will set the maze on fire just to realize that there is nothing else left but the ashes of existence.

"Excuse me, you seem to be lost in thought," another man says to break me from my daze. He yawns. "Sorry, I just woke up."

"It is the afternoon though..."

"I work late nights," he explains like he is used to it.

"Sometimes I do as well, so I know your struggle. My name happens to be Shiro Amari." Although he is tired, I get the impression that he will not try to murder me like Ryoichi, which is a good thing in my book. He seems like somebody I can just chill with if I wanted to like Asuka and Renkou. Creating that sort of friend circle will be beneficial, especially since too much of the hyperactive personalities can be tiring both physically and emotionally.

"My name's Ayumu Tachibana, it's good to meet you. I hope we'll get along."

"Are you an Ultimate? Everybody else is one too. I am the Ultimate Composer." With the more Ultimates I meet, the more possibility that this is something more sinister. There could be a chance that this will be truly turned into a Killing Game, and that will mean I must use my caution even more than usual. No way I will allow myself to die on this ship. If I have to cause the deaths of everybody else to get out, I will gladly do so, but only if there is no other way. There is no reason to cause bloodshed outside of truly necessary situations.

"Yes, I am one. Ultimate Graveyard Shift Worker."

* * *

**Ayumu Tachibana**

**Ultimate Graveyard Shift Worker**

* * *

"Admittedly, it's not really much of a talent, but you know, why waste this opportunity?" Though I will usually disagree, I cannot see how graveyard shift worker will be as useful as some of the others. Maybe he can help with the storage room but, other than that, I cannot truly think of anything.

"That is a good sentiment to have. Hope's Peak will always allow their Ultimates to have a future," I respond. Mostly because the Committee does not want anybody making their track record look bad, even though they will erase students from their records to satisfy their own goals.

Onto Ayumu himself, he has short, shaggy black hair that is lazily side-parted. Some parts of his hair cover his face, partially obscuring his pretty light green eyes. Despite having circles underneath his eyes, Ayumu looks very alert. He must not get that much sunlight since Ayumu's skin is almost unnaturally pale. Though there are no scars, Ayumu's skin looks rough and weathered down, and everything about him makes him look even older than I am. Ayumu is muscular as well and is way taller than I am.

Ayumu wears black denim dungaree trousers worn over a long-sleeved, thin, plain white v-neck t-shirt with a bright yellow hoodie thrown over the top of it, which is left unzipped. His socks are yellow and have stripes, while his trainers generic grey Velcro-strap that are worn. Although it is warm inside the maze, Ayumu is dressed for colder weather Matching his hair almost too well, Ayumu wears a black beanie. He also has matching black gloves. Yawning again, Ayumu crosses his arms and leans against one of the more sturdy shelves.

"I apologize, I know I'm not making the best impression right now."

"It is alright, we need to find a way out of here." Compared to some of the others, being a little tired is a lot better. Of course, I would prefer if he was not, yet, at this point, I am glad to have another potential ally. And a possible way out of here.

"I think I know the way out of here." Having nobody else to depend on, I choose to follow Ayumu. Both of us seem to be quiet types so there is not much conversation as Ayumu finds the way out of the maze. Turns out Ayumu is good for something in my potential strategy after all since he is smarter than I originally thought. Somebody that I can relax around because he does not seem to have any hidden agenda, but it is still too early to make those kinds of assumptions. It can easily just be that Ayumu is good at playing his persona.

* * *

Only after about ten minutes, Ayumu escorts both of us safely out of the maze. It may be good to go in for supplies every once and awhile, but I think it will be wise to avoid the storage room. Outside, I see that Asuka, Renkou, and Kaimaru are still together, seeming like they are planning something.

"Look at that, we don't have to save our darling prince after all. And, look at this, another potential match~"

"That's good! We can't lose somebody that quickly! Especially when I haven't shown you any of my serves." Why do I get the feeling that Asuka is not usually like this and Kaimaru is a bad influence on her?

"Ignore them, we wouldn't be in this situation if they weren't so brash," Renkou sighs. "It is good that you got out of there. We should meet up with everybody else now to plan out events." He seems to be already trying to take a leadership role, which can be dangerous. Leaders, and even only attempted ones, usually have big targets on their backs. It is better to manipulate events from the shadows, to be silent but still have your voice heard everywhere. For the leaders will fall, either by their enemy or the weight of their own crown.

"We should split up or something. It goes faster that way," Asuka suggests. Renkou at first gives her a glance I cannot fully decipher before taking a deep breath.

"That is the best course of action. Let us go together, Kaimaru and Asuka." And that is when the plan is made, leaving us to part our separate ways. There is a chance Ayumu might do something and overpower me, but those three have seen us alone together and he seems too smart to do something so impulsive. With Ayumu, I must enter another door, and enter the world of more people I should not even be meeting in the first place. But the world works in mysterious ways, and there has to be a reason that all of this is happening.

Another step into the journey to wonderland, where we are still in the honeymoon phase since the true darkness is still waiting around the corner, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The puzzles keep giving us new pieces, hoping that we are able to solve it without the picture or the whole set. For nothing gets complete in wonderland, as the queen always finds you and chops your head off. Only for you to somehow survive thanks to the rules of wonderland making no sense, throwing everything about the real world out of the window. Every time you die, you hear the shocking noise of tick, tick, tick, tock. The clock of the mad hatter does not wait for comfort, as everything about the cruel man wishes to steal your sanity away. Tea is poison for the mind, corrupting once innocent thoughts to one of pure destruction. Where there is much laughter as your own blood spills around you, slowly turning into the very tea that you consume. Everything is the same yet everything is different. To the point that you are cutting your own head off, waiting for the final tock.

Yet I should have noticed something was wrong due to there being no noise in the halls.

* * *

_So much blood._

_It does not stop dripping._

_Tick._

_There is nothing I can do._

_Only watch the drips become a pool._

_A pool of regret and sorrow._

_Tick._

_It is your blood but you're still here._

_Everybody is still here, watching._

_And there's their damn applause._

_Clapping that makes me scream._

_Tock._

* * *

**Sorry this took so long. But, for those who are on my Discord, you know my life is personally even more Hell. So yippee. But here's another chapter and we're still in Intro Hell. And I want to die.**

**Once again, because I'm new with a lot of these characters, please correct me if I'm writing any of them wrong. And also more outfit and appearance changes because I'm a complete mad lass. Seriously, I'm insane for everything that I do in this story and how the fuck did I ever think of this.**

**Req's Rec: Danganronpa: Tall Tales and Other Murders by ChaoticMercy**

**QOTC: How's your day? (wonderful question, Requiem)**

**Reviews~**

**ZiggyMia123-Dear God, don't remind me. Yes, Shiro is an asshole, but he's our asshole. Mei is the mastermind. Yep, we're actually getting everybody introduced this time around. Ryoichi and Saitou are very colorful. Shiro needs a break. Yes, you can create the Sachiko Protection Squad, and I'll watch you all fall into despair as you fail to save her once again from her horrible fate.**

**TheRoseShadow21-YES IT IS! TIME FOR MORE SUFFERING! That's good to hear! :D Shiro has meet less insane people, including precious Ayumu. Sachiko needs to be protected by me, join the squad. Thanks so much!**

**mpjinindustries-You just gave me horrible ideas. :3 Thanks so much.**

**AnonChan1-Shiro likes his goddamn poetry. Thanks so much, I work hard because Shiro won't goddamn stop being a poet. Sometimes I laugh because Shiro is trying his hardest to make everything sound cooler than it actually is. All the cute, short, nice ones must suffer, Anon. Everybody in this series has baggage, even MINATO has baggage. Because Osamu's eyes are pumpkins. Pon-chan is here to make things a little less depressing, and so is Kobi. Clearly, Pon-chan is the real mastermind. And then there's BI. White dresses suck, I totally didn't write the white dress scene as a vent scene. Totally. I mean, Yoshi and Eimu are very not okay atm. Clearly, somebody was doing the one-hundred baby challenge but got a little too carried away. Here are some more characters to either help or destroy your theories! Shiro needs help. Ultimate Chicken is the best Ultimate. Poor Shiro is going to get misgendered a lot, and he always suffers (goddammit Choumi).**

**This is still the real world, don't you worry. Shiro does not have narcolepsy, he just sometimes does strange things and is like 'nothing is wrong.' Poor Shiro needs all the hugs even though he's an asshole. Saitou is Cassius if Cassius wanted to stab people. But Cassius prefers poison. Meanwhile, Ryoichi will just kill you. So here's gonna be fun in a killing game. RYOICHI WILL NEVER CHILL. We're gonna have a lot of Wonderland references so be prepared. Somebody protect all the cinnamon rolls from Satan.**

**RioA-Thanks so much, Shiro does take a long time to finally get in character for since he will never stop with his goddamn poetry. This chapter shows that Shiro isn't exactly what people would call sane. Shiro is our asshole father and we love him for it. A lot more people like Shiro than I thought which makes me really happy. :D I literally killed all the girls that aren't Etsuko or Emilynn. Thanks so much, Mei doesn't like it. Mei x Mirabilis is one of my favorite crack ships and nobody can convince me out of it. Plot twist, Mei is eighteen in this version. Shiro is very confused with this deja vu and he just wants it to stop. But I won't let it. SUFFER SHIRO. Sachiko looks cute in anything WHICH MEANS SHE SUFFERs. Osamu never stops being the butt of my jokes that I cannot reveal because of spoilers. Poor Osamu. Because Pon-chan is the cute we need to survive this story, along with Kobi. Shiro has a very long and complicated past and I'm so sorry for doing this to you Shiro.**

**Seina is baby while means she suffers. Media Cafe Luna is somewhere I would like to hang out, but alas it doesn't exist irl RIP. Sachiko just wants people to respect spirits dammit. Very interesting theory, let's see if it becomes true. ;) Whoever the new head is, they're way better than Kotori. If somebody animates anything from this series, I would legit cry. Thanks so much, I worked really hard on that scene since it's really hard to make things scary with just words. Ryoichi and Saitou are both insane and I love them for it. WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF WONDERLAND METAPHORS WOOHOO. Thanks so much, I love all reviews. :D**


	4. Prologue 0-3

**Prologue 0-3: Waging War With the Dying Light**

**Beta Read By: Lupus Overkill and Ziggymia123**

* * *

_Walking softly on my tippy toes, I struggled to explore the intense maze of the house at night. It was more of a mansion turned into a prison, a place where children are dumped when they are born and watch as all their hopes and dreams slowly rot in front of them. But, as a stubborn child who did not know any better, I clung to the last bit of sanity I had. My feet explored the floorboards tirelessly, watching out for anything out of place. Out of this hallway, I would be free for the night. Finally free to become the true Shiro Amari._

_The walls were an intense white in the daytime, but they were then hidden by the overwhelming shadows of the night. There is only some source of light creeping underneath some of the doors, begging to break free from its miserable cage. I had long forgotten the number of doors in the hall, but it was more than the current occupants. At that moment of life, I believed I had thirty-three known siblings. Yet it was useless knowing the exact number since they all run away or die anyway. Our father still cannot keep it in his pants, considering he probably has more than one-hundred children by now. Most mothers did not want their children to be part of some sort of twisted social experiment, but my biological mother, whoever she may be, did not care._

_It was time for the biggest obstacle. Getting past the door of Einosuke's room without making a sound. Though I did it many times, the anxiety would not go away. My heart would try to beat out of my chest, creating its own twisted rhythm. The door is massive, towering over my past small body. One step. No sound. Two steps. Still silence. Three steps. There is a tiny creek in the floorboards, causing me to almost jump. Panic would not help so I continued onward, hoping with everything inside me that nobody heard that._

_And then I finally made it to the door. Opening it as slow as possible, I gently closed it again. Then I began to run, ignoring all the other parts of the mansion. I smile as my small feet make their own music, echoing the sounds throughout the now marble floors and expensive blue walls, teasing me about the perfect sky that will never be. And then I reached the ballroom, with its doors being even more ridiculously huge and impractical than the ones to Einosuke's room. Pushing them open, I examine the scene. Golden wooden floors complimented with an abstract painting on the ceiling and a dazzling chandelier. Everything begins to blur with age, but there is one thing I will not forget. The black grand piano tucked away in one of the corners._

_Hurrying over to the piano, I jump to seat myself on the bench hidden in the back, with it matching the overwhelming golds of the floor. I take a deep breath, and my legs dangle, with me swinging them back and forth._

_With one press of the dusty, delicate piano keys, I coughed as my hands got dirty. But the echo of the music was more than worth it. My eyes sparkle with only one beat of the true music, fitting the cold room with life. I imagined other people in the room, dressed in overly formal clothing that took way too much time to put on, dancing with strangers that they would later bed in an attempt to get all of their money. Einosuke would be scouting new prey, seeing which unlucky woman would produce the most interesting offspring._

_The imaginary eyes focused on me, waiting with bated breath for the rest of the song. Pressing the keys at random, like my heart is screaming to express myself, I somehow made a song full of emotion and did not sound like I was just making it up as I went. Closing my eyes, I fully gave my body up for the song, with my fingers moving by themselves._

_It went on for hours, with me not realizing the clock was ticking. Sleep was something I was not interested in, even though there would be some kind of test tomorrow as part of our so-called homeschooling. Escape was possible, through the beautiful melody swimming throughout the halls and my ears._

_But, when I finished the song, my whole body got goosebumps when I heard somebody clap. Slowly and painfully, the person clapped as their footsteps get closer and closer. Everything in my body froze, even though my brain was screaming to run away. But a child cannot outrun an adult, so, no matter what, it would have been hopeless. I bite my lip so hard that it bleeds, straining my teeth with red. My nails dug into my skin, for they had to be cut due to how long and sharp they were. Before the man could reach the back of the piano, something in my head snapped and I dove underneath the instrument._

_Once the man was behind the piano, I made a run for it. Yet I was right before, no mere child could outrun an adult. So, seconds later, I felt another hand squeeze around my left arm so hard that it left a bruise. Even destined to return to the cage, I wanted to refuse to become the man's nightingale for one more night. Singing in my own prison for everybody to hear but nobody to listen._

_"Shiro, you should know better than that now," the man threatened. I knew who it was, but I did not want to give him the satisfaction. Yet it is obvious for everybody else that it was Einosuke. That creepy, raspy voice refusing to leave my head after all of these brutal years. "A woman of your age has to learn how to listen to their parents. You are eight years old, and yet you are still in your rebellion phrase."_

_"...I'm not a girl..."_

_"Enough with that talk. You have to experience punishment for sneaking out during the night. But it is good to know that at least one of my pathetic children has the potential to become an Honorary Ultimate," Einosuke stated. Then he started to drag me to the hallway, yet I did not stop fighting back. All it did was waste energy. Fighting back is always a horrible strategy. Accepting your situation is the more logical course of action since that acceptance means that you can have some power in your miserable life._

_"Lemme go!" Picking a fight much like a toddler, all I got in return is a harsher squeeze of my arm, causing me to scream out in pain as it felt like everything was contorting. The pain was overwhelming my sense yet I refused to give up. It is better to give up sooner than later. That way not everything about you breaks into a stranger that looks nothing like you in the broken mirror. Every mirror in wonderland is broken, with everybody having to dance around the sharp fragments on the yellow brick road._

_Einosuke did not say anything after that, his cold stare saying way more than words ever could. Everything relaxed yet was more on edge. The screaming of wonderland cannot be heard in the high towers of Oz. Where the elite dress in brilliant greens, looking down at the insane asylum._

_The Wizard of Oz refused to let go of my influence. Dorothy has learned too much, yet Dorothy is stuck on the yellow brick road with only her imaginary friends to keep her company, slowing losing herself to the will of Alice. And Alice was the one being dragged into the cruel depths of Oz as nothing more than a trophy, with her dazzling red shoes reminding her of the blood now straining her hands. Proof that even the savages of a distant land can be conquered by a group of people that spout nothing but lies. Lies are their poison, slowly draining other lands of all of their life. For the evil witch was all that could stop them, no longer able with her decaying pig head on a stick smushed underneath a shattered, glasshouse full of nothing but meaningless memories and empty promises._

_Finally, at the gates of Oz, they slowly open, destroying all that is left of Wonderland. For Wonderland never truly existed outside of being the experiment subject for the higher classes. Shangri-la came, seeking for its peace taken away by the fake promised land._

* * *

Focusing back on the boring abyss of the real world, I blink my suspiciously heavy eyes. Ayumu does not seem to be faring much better, yawning loudly. Triggering my primitive reflexes, or at least that is what current science theorizes, I yawn as well. The way too familiar sound breaks me out of the past, breaking past yet another fragile mirror, and officially brings me to the present. None of the glass shards can be seen but they can be felt, leaving invisible scars everywhere we walk, begging to finally be seen by somebody who knows better than everybody else. But that is simply not human.

Ayumu and I awkwardly stare at each other for some time. Even though Asuka, Kaimaru, and Renkou have some kind of plan for themselves, all Ayumu and I know to do is to split away from them. Our group really should have planned this out better. If this kind of leadership continues into the Killing Game, we might already be doomed.

"Um, let's just continue." Noticing Ayumu is struggling to even stay awake, I notice that is not the best option for him. Ayumu must learn to sleep more, otherwise, this can greatly affect his life. He must be somewhat successful to get in Hope's Peak, but working the graveyard shift for the rest of his life might slowly break him. Humans need some kind of change.

"We should figure out where there is a bed. It would be helpful for our general survival as well. Though we can sleep on the floors, it is better if we have some source of comfort," I comment. I do not get the feeling that the room will be any of the ones left in this hallway. If anything, it would be one of the rooms from the hallway that I woke up in and met Mei. We did not check any of those doors so it would be best to find out their purpose. There are thirty of them so a higher chance that one of them leads to a bed.

"Oh my God, there you are!" Out of nowhere, Mei jumps on me, knocking me down to the ground. Ayumu stares at us, with the more time I spend looking at his eyes, the deeper the bags underneath seem. "You didn't get murdered yet! That's so amazing! I was so worried that crazy demon guy was gonna chop one of us up before the game even started. We can't lose our protagonist first again!"

"Is anybody else with you, Mei?"

"Seina was with me for some time but she wanted to check nobody got hunted down by the crazy people! There are so many people here that I'm surprised aren't considered legally insane!" Mei exclaims. She somehow puts even more of her weight on me, which makes it shockingly hard to breathe. Mei is a lot heavier than I would have suspected, or maybe all of these years of not working out have finally taken their toll. I should really start to exercise again since it improves my health and makes me more likely to live longer, yet I have been so busy that I have not found the time. Perhaps running around concert halls trying to make sure everything is ready on time is considered enough exercise. Or maybe I am trying to find more excuses to continue being lazy. If I am to live, I must not continue this bad habit.

"We really should continue going..."

"You know what, I'm gonna take your friend since he doesn't seem insane! And I need a friend who won't treat me like a kid. I may look thirteen...wait, I don't even look thirteen! Why does everybody think I'm thirteen!?" Mei starts going around the two of us in circles. Her steps are hurried, with her hands going through her thin, black hair. The steps may seem random, but something about this whole thing is calculated. When Mei stops and turns to face me, both of us make direct eye contact. Her eyes remind me of a memory long forgotten, begging to finally be remembered after all of these years. For a second, Mei does not smile, until her smile does not reach her eyes. That is when I realize that her smile has done no such thing in all of the time that I knew her. The gates of Gehenna have opened with a simple act and the gatekeeper is trying their best to make sure the gates of Heaven do not hear about the event. Such fools never know that in this current world there is no avoiding the cruel eyes of an unexisting God.

"If I may interrupt a moment...I think I'm allowed to choose who I go with," Ayumu replies. He is harder to read than Mei, but maybe that is perhaps he really should sleep more. Although I do not sleep as much as I should, I can tell Ayumu does not take care of himself properly. Being this tired can lead to mistakes, yet Ayumu has a talent so he must still be somewhat careful in this state. Another reason Ayumu is so much harder to read is that he is not as expressive as Mei. Mei brings up a good point of him being sane since he does not stand out like a sore thumb like most Ultimates. Even I am way too easy to pick out in a group of strangers thanks to my appearance. Many find me to be a beautiful 'woman' and I cannot count how many times I have to correct people. Maybe I should finally cut my hair, but Eimu and Hana both told me that they like it better longer.

"But I wanna know more about you!" Mei complains. "What's it like dealing with people at three AM? I once had to pull an all-nighter for my high school before Hope's Peak and it sucked! I snapped at my sister which was weird because that's her thing!" She pouts, and I find it hard not to respond with a snide comment. After all of these years being in the Committee, I am surprised I still have such urges. But it is alright if the mind thinks them once in a while since it is only natural to want to act like your true self. Just remember that truth is the enemy of all of those ruling with lies and the ones that eat their rotten apples believing that they are gold.

"Everybody's drunk at three AM."

"Oh, but how are they drunk?" Mei's eyes sparkle when she moves closer to Ayumu. "Are they like the happy drunk or like the super asshole drunk!? Or maybe they give you all the Committee secrets! The secret-giving drunk! That would be cool~"

There is something off about this conversation. Ayumu is entirely focused on Mei, and I do not blame him, with her being way too close to him for personal comfort. But Ayumu seems to be dealing with it just fine, so I decide he can take care of himself. Looking around to the other rooms, I decided that it may be the best bet to search the door at the end. It might be the biggest room since it is the only door that is by itself besides the one that leads to what I should dub the buffet room, though maybe the balloon maze may be a better description.

"Awwww you can answer my questions. It's so quiet in here! Except, gasp! If you're drunk as well and you got in by bribing a corrupt official!"

"You need to give me time to respond," Ayumu sighs.

Before I can be trapped in their conversation again, I quietly walk towards the door. All of those years of sneaking around the house finally comes in handy. Ayumu looks over in my direction and clearly spots me but does not say anything as Mei harasses him with more questions. She really does act like a child, with her trying to find out more about the world but in all of the wrong ways. Mei is naive, for she may want to learn about the world now but peeling away all the layers of the mystery only reveals a rotten core fueling all of humanity. It is better for children to become puppets for whatever power is in control than become soldiers of a movement that will be destroyed in a manner of minutes. Nobody cares about breaking free from the world when the government continues to keep them well fed inside a golden cage. The remnants of music are long forgotten, now replaced for more political propaganda that the singing birds happily continue to indulge in. But little do the singing birds know that the food that fills their bellies is only so they can be fattened up and served as a true dinner for their bloated kings.

Walking away for that reality is impossible but so many have tried, including me in the distant past. The faded memories of Yoshi and Eimu serve as painful reminders that such a fate can never be avoided. History repeats, with fools overthrowing their tyrants only to become the monsters they very much despised. For powers corrupts absolutely. But it is not the time to dwell on such events, for I must take a step forward to the door of cruel fate.

And finally, I open the door of no return.

* * *

Inside, there is a gym that is more spacious than any I had in schooling, even the one in Hope's Peak. Though there is barely anything here except for a basketball court even I know it is way too big for the sport. There are bleachers on each side of the room and I notice two new but still strangely familiar people are on the top of the bleachers yelling at each other for some reason. Another person is in the middle of the room with papers spread all around her and she is sitting crisscross. With the stage itself, there is a red curtain covering whatever is on it. Everything is way too spacious and something inside me is screaming that there should be more chaos around. But this room is way too empty and that makes me on edge. For example, there is the court for basketball, yet there are no hoops or balls to be around. Renkou will probably be disappointed that he cannot even play basketball in a court this ridiculously huge.

"Look, a new person Yuu!" The girl from the left side of the bleachers starts running down. I am surprised she does not trip but she travels down the stairs with shocking grace.

"Yuki, you're going to get yourself killed one of these days!" Yuu, I presume, shouts. Both of their voices are very loud, to the point that the girl in the center has to cover her ears as she continues her work. Unlike Yuki, Yuu takes his time going down the bleachers, only being about half-way down when Yuki comes to greet me. Yuki also has no sense of personal space, like so many other people in this place. They must not interact with much of the higher-ups in the Committee since this behavior often brings punishment.

"Well, I'll be dying in fashion unlike you!" Yuki turns to stick her tongue out at Yuu. It is easy for me to find out that they are siblings. This is way too similar to how some of my brothers and sisters would interact with each other. "Please ignore him. He's also a pain in my side! Like oh my God. But, enough with that, let's talk about you talking about me. Because I know I met you somewhere before. I just can't put my finger on it!"

The siblings can not be any more different from one another in terms of their appearance. Yuki wears a white sweater with a rainbow symbol. For her skirt, it is dark blue and knife-pleated with overalls hanging down due to their lack of use. Her stockings are misplaced, with them both being black and knee-high but one is fishnet while the other transparent. She has navy blue ankle platform boots that look like their outside is made of velvet even though that is clearly not the case. The girl's hair is blonde but very clearly bleached, with her wearing it in a high ponytail held together by a pink scrunchie. There is a lot of makeup on her face, with her having bright pink lips and eyeshadow and lots of black, heavy mascara. Last but not least, Yuki wears a silver necklace of a half-moon.

Yuu, on the other hand, looks like he just dragged himself out of bed but somehow still had the time to apply layers of the same black mascara his sister has and black lipstick. The two of them must share their makeup since, even though the lipstick is different colors, it looks like it is from the only brand most people nowadays can afford (although there are other brands, only the wealthy will be absurd enough to pay a thousand dollars for it). He is wearing the hood of his black-and-white striped jacket, making it hard to notice his black hair. His hands seem to never leave the front pockets of his dark blue skinny jeans. The shoes that Yuu wears are black converse and the laces are untied which bothers me more than it should.

"Trying to work," the person in the middle mumbles. But Yuki either does not hear her or does not care. Yuki once again turns to face me with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Wellllll...I should introduce myself! Greetings, commoner, I'm Yuki Akimoto the Ultimate-"

"Don't let her overwhelm you. And don't trust a single thing she says," Yuu interrupts when he appears right next to Yuki. Yuki squints at Yuu when she huffs and crosses her arms.

"This is my stupid, good-for-nothing brother. Clearly I'm better than him in everything!"

"Don't I get better grades than you? And have more friends-"

"Shut up, that's not true!" Yuki, being taller than Yuu, knocks him on the top of his head while laughing nervously. I already want this conversation to be over but this time there is no escape. Whoever is in the middle is smart enough to know not to get involved with these two.

"Anywayyyyy I'm the Ultimate Singer and this worthless dude the Ultimate Violinist. But those talents are bullshit! Because, in reality, we're the Ultimate Duet! Nothing you simpleton can defeat the power of our songs!"

* * *

**Yuu and Yuki Akimoto**

**Ultimate Duet**

**(Let's not kid ourselves, they're really the Ultimate Violinist and Ultimate Singer. But let them live out their wildest dreams.)**

* * *

"Is there not another Ultimate Singer? Hanami Fukushima?" I ask her. Yuki tilts her head and finally uncrosses her arms.

"Yeah, but Shun told me she doesn't count to Hope's Peak because of that dumb Honorary stuff years back. And she's been missing for like five years with all of those other losers. He said he wanted my brillance! So clearly, I'm better than this Hanami! Wait a minute, I'm part of the Ultimate Duet so Ultimate Singer isn't even my talent! You commonfolk have such small brains so you can't possibly understand!" Yuki tucks her tongue into her cheek. Yuu, however, does nothing but stare down his sister. And, of course, the other girl in the middle continues to work on whatever she is doing. She does not even stop writing down whatever to look at the chaos happening anymore.

"Just ignore her."

"Ignore him! I'm the princess here. You should all be bowing to me to honor my presence! Not many get to see me for free, you know? You usually have to go to one of our shows. By the way, there's a new show happening at Sakura Circus tomorrow night at six PM so make sure to be there and give us the money that we deserve!"

"Yuki, the show is free-"

"There's such a thing called tips! That's how us geniuses survive in these cruel days!"

"Give him time to speak. And please stop plugging our shows to everybody unfortunate enough to walk into you. We don't even know his name yet."

"That's weird! You're such an idiot! Of course, he said something. He's Shiro Amari, Ultimate Composer. Duh, he told us! Which means he knows the struggle of being an artist trying to make it alone in the world! Well, I have you but that's not saying much, Yuu." Yuki knocks Yuu on the head once again. But the two of us just stare at her. She keeps knocking Yuu on the head, most likely waiting for the two of us to say something. But this kind of thing has happened way too much inside this prison to be passed off as a coincidence.

"Is your memory going already? You can't just make random names for people."

"Excuse me, Yuu, but that is indeed my name and talent. Sorry for not introducing myself earlier." I bow down to both of them which causes Yuki to start uncontrollably blushing. However, much like usual, Yuu does not give much of a response. Looking over to the mysterious girl, I notice that she is now paying full attention to our conversation.

"Okay, what the fuck." Yuu continues to stare at me blankly with his mouth slightly open. He looks like he is trying to process the information but he has to figure out problems faster to survive in this world.

"That's a bad word, Yuu! Akita told us not to use those!" This time, Yuki shoves Yuu. "Only I'm allowed to use those because I'm the older one! Aha!"

"What twisted logic is that? You're not even older. I was born two hours before you. We don't even have the same birthday. In what universe is August fourteenth before August thirteen?"

"Silence! I was clearly conceived first!" Yuki puffs out her chest in apparent victory. Yuu only sighs. "But enough of that lovely conversation, we should get to know Shiro better so he can praise me more!"

"That doesn't even make sense," Yuu replies looking like he wants to die inside. The Committee should hire more people like Yuki to annoy people into their brainwashing. That way, there would not be a new rebellion group created every day. Even though the Committee can take care of the rebels, except they seem to be struggling with the so-called Saviors of Humanity, the Committee is running out of resources in Japan. Not many want to stay loyal in Japan because they do not know the true horror of the American branch of the Committee. Those who have been in America agree that the Committee there is ten times worse and more threatening than in Japan, most likely because Ayano Kirigiri has her own agenda outside of the Committee and basically broadcasts how disloyal she is to the world. Such a fool, that kind of behavior is going to get her killed soon.

"Well, let's see!" Yuki extends her hand out to me. Not wanting to be seen as rude, I take the hand and start shaking it. At that moment, everything freezes. Once again, I find myself trapped in a photograph, being unable to move but seeming like I am posing for a camera.

* * *

_Another mirror painfully shatters, its glass shards digging into my skin but leaving no blood. The broken mirror becomes whole again, with it becoming much like the mirrors found in funhouses. My body is skinny but overweight, tall but short. Every couple of seconds, the distortion changes, not giving me enough time to process any of them fully._

_A bright light shines down on me like I am an actor on the stage who just finished an opera. But there is no audience cheering only an empty void. Appearing from the void is Yuu and Yuki but this time they are fused together with them wearing a nice tux. They reach their hand out to me but I refuse to take it. Yuki is smiling while Yuu is frowning. Instead of waiting for my consent, they grab onto my hand and the three of us begin to fuse together. The process has no pain, in fact, I am strangely at peace accepting the death of my true personality._

_"Become one with us," they both speak at the same time. It takes a moment for me to realize that I am speaking as well. "Please, we need you. It's how we find bliss. Our souls can finally find salvation."_

* * *

"Stay away!" Yuki screams. She violently lets go of my hand and jumps back. Analyzing her more closely, I see Yuki's blue eyes are now dilated. "I don't need your salvation! I'm perfect the way I am!" She immediately runs out of the gym looking like she is about to cry and scream at the same time. I am expecting Yuu to run after her but he does not.

"You asshole!" Yuu then finds it appropriate to punch me in the face. Being able to see his hands properly, I notice he has black nail polish. But, with the punch itself, it barely even hurt, and will not leave a black eye. His punch is quite pathetic compared to the many other people in my life. If he wants to be threatening, he has to put on some muscle first. I can tell that Yuu has not worked out in a single day in his life. Although I may not be the strongest, I still try to find some time in my busy life to take care of myself. Meanwhile, Sachiko can most likely beat Yuu in a fistfight by just blowing on him accidentally.

"Uh! Don't...do that?" The other girl is still in her spot but at least trying to help. She probably cares more about her notes. Not that I would blame her since Yuu poses a threat to nobody. He might even have trouble stepping on an ant with how much stronger it can be than him.

"Don't ever talk to my sister again!"

"I can take care of myself!" Yuki appears again for a second with her opening the door and peeking her head in. Once she sees me, Yuki runs once again and accidentally slams the door. Everything in this gym is too loud to be comfortable.

"For the love of..." Yuu takes a deep breath and tries to punch me again. I simply dodge out of the way. "Dammit! What the Hell!?" Then Yuu stomps out of the room, fuming all the way to the door. He slams the door even harder, with the harsh sound once again echoing throughout the room. The girl covers her ears until it finally stops.

"I am sorry for their behavior." I bow down to the girl but she does not seem to notice, once again too focused on her notes. She is writing faster than I have ever in my entire life in a language I cannot comprehend. If I have to guess, it looks like she is writing in Russian. There must be over a hundred pieces of paper on the ground with all different kinds of languages, with me only being only able to pick out the Japanese but not being able to read it. Only one of the pieces of paper does not have writing, and it has a somewhat badly drawn picture of what looks like a dead body hanging from some sort of bars. With that simple information, I get a feeling that I should know who this is and what the picture represents. But I have no idea what any of this means. Kazuhiko always told me not to make conclusions before getting all the evidence so waiting must be the logical course of action.

"Oh. Don't apologize." Finally, I get the girl's attention. Looking closely at the green backpack right by her, I notice that there are even more pieces of paper. I wonder how a backpack can fit everything but it is fairly big.

There is an awkward silence between the two of us. I can just leave, but I do not want to risk running into Yuki or Mei again at this moment. This girl is not much of a talker and that must be some sort of code on her papers so she probably would not react well to me asking about them.

"You probably heard from them that my name is Shiro Amari. Nice to meet you."

"...Ah, I'm, uh Ichiko Miyashita. The Ultimate...Um, Historian?"

* * *

**Ichiko Miyashita**

**Ultimate Historian**

* * *

Ichiko's skin is so pale that it looks like she has not seen natural sunlight for a couple of years. She has a lot of freckles to the point that they completely overwhelm her rounded nose. Balancing on her nose, Ichiko wears black circular glasses that look way too big on her. They keep almost falling off when she goes to get paper from the floor, causing Ichiko to always have to push them up her nose. Her ginger hair is messily put in a bun with me fighting the urge to redo it so there would be no strands out of place. For her shirt, Ichiko wears a faded grey sweater that is once again way too big for her. There is a logo on the shirt that I think is of a rabbit breed I believe is called hotot. Her pants are baggy black sweats that I am severely worried will fall off of her at any minute. I notice that all Ichiko is wearing is white socks which cannot be the best for her feet or keeping things clean.

Instead of continuing the conversation, Ichiko continues with her work. The only sound echoing throughout the walls is the shuffling of way too many papers and her pencil writing and marking many strange symbols.

"What are your thoughts about this place?" I question her.

"It's uh too bright in here," Ichiko remarks. I look around and I can understand why somebody less used to overwhelming light can think such a thing. There are four big shining lights in the corners of the room that are strangely a lot like spotlights. It is very overwhelming at first but eventually, somebody can learn how to get used to it.

"What do you think about the rest of the ship?"

"Woke up here. Um, yeah, the gym. In, uh, whatever these clothes are." Before I can question her about what she means, we are both alarmed by a loud sound coming from the direction of the stage.

Without much of a warning, a person pops out from behind the curtain. Ichiko and I stare at the person as whoever this is makes their way over to us. They hold their hand out of us before meeting, but only Ichiko takes it. I cannot stop myself from being rude and just staring at the hand.

"Oh, hello. My name is-name is Suzunami Oshiro, but you can call me Suzu. I'm the Ultimate Locksmith, and I've gotta say, this isn't what I was ex-space-ting, heh... No, too much? Sorry- Sorry, then, puns are just right in my orbit! Anyways, who are you guys?" I cannot stop myself from stupidly looking at them, just trying to find out the right words to respond with. But never in a billion years, I would have thought that I would be exposed to..._this._ Some part of me feels awful for saying Kotori's jokes were better but that is simply the truth. If Kotori was still alive, just remembering the quality of her jokes would be enough to blackmail her. Kazuhiko, however, is too much of a saint for this world, and his heavenly light cannot risk being soiled by my lingering darkness.

* * *

**Suzunami Oshiro**

**Ultimate Locksmith**

* * *

"Um, why do I have the sudden urge...to quote the Bee Movie?...I haven't even seen the Bee Movie..." Ichiko shivers.

"According to all known laws of aviation, there is no way that a bee should be able to fly. Its wings are too small to get its fat little body off the ground. The bee, of course, flies anyway. Because bees don't care what humans think is impossible-"

"I am scared and amazed at the same time," I say under my breath as Suzunami continues to quote the movie.

"We interrupt this un-bee-liveably funny joke! I bee-lieve I gotta have your names!" Suzunami starts laughing at the joke while Ichiko and I both try to process what is going on. "Bee-liveeeee I gotta have your namesssss~"

"Uh, Ichiko Miyashita...Ultimate Historian."

"If you need an Ark, I Noah guy." Suzunami smirks. I cannot stop my desire to want death. "Get it, I noah-"

"Shiro Amari. Ultimate Composer."

"What was Beethoven's favorite fruit?" Suzunami's face must be the last thing many people see before an untimely disaster.

"Oh no..." I have to find a way out of here. Having to deal with the drama of Yuki or the annoyance of Mei is way better than whatever is happening now. There must be a way out of here that Suzunami cannot follow.

"BA-NA-NA-NAAAAAA!" I look over to where Ichiko used to be but I realize that she has long abandoned ship. Suzunami must have been too focused on me to even realize Ichiko was leaving. But then I remember, I must have not been focusing either since Ichiko running out of hereafter collecting all of her notes must have caused some noise. After Ichiko leaves, however, Suzunami remains silent.

"Don't be so serious. Try to be more light-hearted." Suzunami covers their eyes. I am about to ask what Suzunami means but, a couple of seconds later, all of the lights to the gym go off. The sudden contrast makes my eyes burn, but I quickly have to adjust. Kotori would submit many people to sensory tortures, and the best way to survive with your sanity intact is to keep calm and adjust quickly. Though nothing will help you forget the unending screams of those who do not learn the basic rules of survival. No matter what, they will follow you, and you have to accept that will be the reality of the rest of your life.

"Hellllooooooo~ So sorry for leaving you in the dark about my wonderful looks but I don't want a bear coming for my ass. Using pranks to get on a spaceship is so much easier than a lot of people know!" There is another person, a man. "And this piece of worthless shit by you is my lovely accomplice for the evening. But don't get the wrong idea, we literally just meet and I can't stand xyr guts!" Whoever this is, they do not know when to shut up. People say I talk too much, yet I find that notion ridiculous compared to somebody like this. But it is useful to know that Suzunami uses xe and xem pronouns, especially since the Committee looks down upon others who use pronouns outside of the standard he, she, and they.

"Get to the point already," I groan. After all of these over-the-top personalities, I crave to be once again with somebody like Ayumu. The Committee keeping all of these people alive is surprising me more and more, but Kirigiri has always been the type of person to allow people in no matter the situation to study them more. That must be something Kirigiri got from her former boss, whoever that is since nobody is willing to tell that information since that boss is who allowed people like Kirigiri herself and Kotori to join their ranks.

"It's so simple even a bastard like you will be able to understand it. Keep track of this and never show it to anybody else even me, got it? Never know when somebody will experience the joys of brainwashing. Of course, you can be brainwashed again and screw us all over but they decided to make an unlikeable idiot the protagonist because they all want to experience love or something." Even though I can hear his voice, I still jump when I feel the man place something in my hands. Feeling the object around, I notice quickly that it is a key. There are not a lot of places that I can put such a thing so I have to think fast. My pockets are too obvious so I only have one hiding spot at the moment. My binder, just great. I hate this thing with a passion since it gets in the way of everything I have to do, but it is something I have to live with for now. It squeezes the life out of me, while the Committee stands there and watches their little animal get drained of life like it is a show, tormented glee visible by their twisted smiles. Their animals dance and dance and then they throw their empty promises like roses on top of their perfectly kept corpses.

"You think a lot, you know that? You just completely ignored everything I just said like you're spouting bullshit poetry inside your head." Whoever this is, I already hate his guts. He reminds me too much of Kotori even though I cannot understand the reason. "I show you my love and you ignore it. No matter, I love everyone equally!"

_I'm going to use my love to make everybody equally underneath me._

Not knowing where the man is, I take a step back. The vast void surrounds me, being way too open but threatening to squeeze me to death. A chorus surrounds me with their only instrument being their eyes, but everything is only the pure darkness. Then, suddenly, there is a hand on my shoulder, and, when I turn around, I see a familiar face but with a smile, I have never seen before.

"Hello, Shiro. It's been a long time."

"...Ayano?" I ask. But I can see her so clearly, more than even myself. Her hair is much longer and back to her original blonde color and she looks so much older with somewhat gaining more bags underneath her eyes.

"No, are you insane? I'm not Ayano. Everybody keeps changing my appearance and then I get treated like a different person." She rolls her eyes. "I would introduce myself but that only wastes time and you should know who I am."

"...How are you here?"

"Well, I can't listen to the other side of the conversation but my love might have something to do with it. You better thank me for performing such a nice act on you!" I try to think of ways this person could interfere with my brain yet I am currently experiencing too much confusion to properly conclude anything. Then I start to wonder what happened to Suzunami since I can already tell it is odd for them to stay quiet for this long.

"I very much like being alive and not dead like that Natsumi bitch wanted me to be. But really, Natsumi always sucked compared to my mother. No wonder the Committee didn't want anybody to know about Natsumi." The strange woman begins to shake her head. "Getting deleted from the Neo World Program caused a lot of problems. But you're like the only useful person here so we got to work together."

"...Can you better explain what is going on?"

"No. We don't have the time. Just remember your mission and act like a good little boy." The woman crosses her arms and glares at me. She is completely different from any person I have met but something inside me does recognize her. But I have been experiencing that unreliable feeling this entire day so perhaps it is best to not follow the words of these people I know nothing about.

"I would love to see your beautiful face right now, Shiro. But we have to run! Good to know I showed you a little extent of my love~" Then I get actually punched and fall onto the ground. The lights turn on again and the woman automatically disappears. Suzunami still does nothing as the man begins to run to the stage. But I make a mistake, with him looking back at me and seeing my eyes are still open. The last thing I notice is that the mysterious man has grey, curly hair before he kicks me hard in the face.

* * *

_A harsh knock on the door. It would not stop, even though I tried to go back to sleep. Tomorrow was one of my biggest performances, or at least that is what Kotori told me. Kotori promised that if I sold out and good reviews, she would finally give me everything I ever wanted. I promised and promised I would not be like the last one, with no knowledge about what she was going on about. But Kotori is the Queen of Hearts, hunting down the head of Dorothy because she is not Alice and does not belong in this story. Many innocents become heads in her collection only because of one selfish person decided that their life is more important than those of the majority. No matter the logic, however, the naivete always strives to make the world into a worse place._

_I slowly reached the door and hesitated in front of it. Another desperate knock, so loud that I was surprised it did not wake any of our neighbors. Or maybe they have become used to the unending screams that plagued that hallway. It becomes a door to Narnia, except of mystical adventures, however, it becomes corrupted by the thoughts of Dante and so many others into one leading to the very depths of the only existing Hell. Yet the Devil is always knowledgeable about humanity, and my young curiosity cannot lead one door unlocked._

_Turning on one of my lights beforehand, I opened the door slowly. There I see Kazuhiko with his eyes extremely dilated, body shaking, and covered with a lot of blood though I did not see any injuries on him._

_"Dead. Dead. Dead." He smiled and held back a fit of manic laughter the best he could. His eyes were contorting to an unnatural greyish-green color. Seeing too much of Kotori's experiments, I knew way too well what that meant. "She's dead, Shiro! We're finally free! Kazuma can come back to us, right?"_

_"...Who's dead?" I asked. My voice was strained and could barely be heard._

_"Kotori Hiraoka!" Kazuhiko proudly boasted. He, however, slapped himself afterward. "I just couldn't take it anymore! She broke Ayano, Shiro! Ayano refuses to fucking say anything more than a single word!"_

_"..." I did not know what to say. Kazuhiko kept biting down his lip whenever he started to laugh. He starts to hold himself tightly, his nails digging deep inside his exposed skin. Then he bites his lip hard once again, this time so hard that it starts bleeding._

_"So I took one of those baseball bats that she loves so much. And she was actually sleeping in her room for once. So I did the right thing and smashed her head in. And she had the audacity to lie! To tell me that she loved me! She fucking bought me!" Kazuhiko started to cry when he could not stop himself from laughing hysterically. He punched himself in the stomach but that did not stop him. With every bit of laughter, I inched away from him and towards the window. Wonderland no longer had their queen. Although the Queen of Hearts was cruel, she brought order to the land, and now everybody would be fighting to be an even worse version of her._

_"That's all life is, Shiro, a bunch of dollar bills. Who cares about the people I ruin with my articles just so I can ruin more lives and get more money!? That's what Akita seems to think or whoever she is now!" Kazuhiko's eyes began to swirl but once again he punches himself, returning them to grey. "Finally beating Kotori with that damn baseball bat is the best thing that I ever did! Because now she can't hurt any of us!"_

_"Calm." Suddenly, Ayano appears in the room, way taller than I remembered. She easily towers over the two of us. Looking over Kazuhiko's shoulder, I realize she opened the door and remembered that I forgot to lock it._

_"...Ayano?" Kazuhiko quickly grabbed onto Ayano, hugging her as if his life depended on it. Ayano hugged him back, causing me to feel very out of place in this conversation._

_"Promise?"_

_"What?"_

_"That you would never kill anybody again," Ayano told Kazuhiko in a voice way too monotone. Life had been drained entirely out of all of us but we still had the audacity to walk around the world claiming to be human._

_"I promise."_

_Despair is such a mysterious thing even though many people claim to worship it, and so is hope. How can these two ideas have such distinct ways of changing the science of the body? None of this should be possible, but the world of wonders always loves to prove people wrong. It's simply illogical to think that the world would follow the way that you think it would. It's illogical to think that anybody will love you more than somebody else when you are as big of a monster as I am._

_It's illogical to hold onto long-forgotten promises. Right, Eimu?_

* * *

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̷̨̘̞̣͎̗̤̻̻͉̄̀̈́̊͛͑͂̌̀͘͜͠ç̵̲̳͓̠͖̺̒̐͗̀̏͜͝ȏ̴͓͎̙̭͛̎͆̃̚m̷̧̛̖̼̫͔̥̘̗̻͖̣̀p̷̡͍̼͙̰̘̤̻̚l̶̳͖̤̆̓̀̒̈́͋e̸̢̩̺̤̣͈͈̙͉̱̰͒̒͂͒̓̆͑t̸̺̳̪͂e̴̠͇͚̎̕̕l̵̡̙̜̭̫̲̜͖̠͇̬̠̆y̸̡̞̮̲͍̟̼͗̆̌̃̓̈ ̴̰̹͓͎̈́̆̄̌̎̈́̑ǘ̷̝̫̱̟̽̕n̶͇͕̻̱͌͗̈́͜͝͠ṟ̷͖̀͑̍̎͗͝ͅë̸͈̫̭͕͕̪̳̩̻̗̥͚̖͇́̽͗̇c̴͚̟͚̣͍̱̼̙̟̞̙̹͆̀̈́͛̄͌̃ͅǫ̴̲̙̤̲̼̺̼͇̦̳̠̳̓́̽̀̾͘̕͜͠ğ̷̜̑͂̇͑̂̈̔͌̄̍͘͠͝n̶̨̼͔̣̰̤̺͈̄͜ͅȋ̴̢̮͖͔̪̼̫̮͖̺̘́͗͐͜͜͜͜͝z̸̢̻̹̖̞̹͂̓̏̃̌͒̽a̸̜̝̅͑̏̎ͅb̴̡̛̥̣̹̬̱͕͇͕̜͇͇̯̩̏̓̿͛̿̂̉͒̉͂̀͆̍̈l̶͚̺͍͔͉̘̯̳̜͇̰̐̃̏ͅe̶̡̱̘̤̼̽́̚ ̶̢̝̲̬̈͊e̷̡̼̭̥̔̾͂͊͝x̸̞̥͉͗̑͊̃̾̓̈͊ċ̸̡̙̝̥͔͌́̚͜e̷̡̧͇͈̊̈́p̷͖̟̜͍̝͔̌̑̉̀́̐̓̅͌̌̀̕͝͝t̷̛̛̮̘̪͕̙̂̐̓͌̅͂͐͌̚ ̷̣͖͚̖̬͖̠̣͔̙̲̥̍̐̅͋̈́͒f̷͙̖̄͗̌͝͝ǫ̶̛̙̤͉̳̜̼̟͙̜̺͕̘̍̾͗͆̍̈́̎̿̀̕r̸͓̮̲̞̖̮̫͕͊ ̷͎̠̦̣̈́̆͝͠t̴̨̲͚̮̟̙̰̩͉̀̌͗ͅḧ̷̡̖̦͕̩́͒̿̾̔̀͘ė̴̤̞̙̤͙̲̮͔̞̹̙͙͈͙̈́̊̂̅̊̌̓̆̃̀͠ ̶̳̦̬̩͑̈̃̕ć̶̨̑̈̓̉̒͛̑̿̈̿͒̕̕͝r̷̨̭͎̠̥̍͋̓̂̐̿̏̆̆̒͝ư̶̮̖̇͐̔́̌̏̋̅̔͑͛̉ȩ̷̼͈̬̺͕̜̦̊́l̸̡̢̟̬̱͚̰̲͙̱̰͑̒͒̇ ̵̛̛̝̰̹̭̬̩̌̉͊́̑̏͊͂̓́̄̕m̷̝̟̘͙͔̙̮̺̟̺͈̈́́͛͂͌̑̂̀̉̌̅̃̽̕͝ȩ̶̖͈̞̥͍̼̭̳̤̎͑͂̿̃̒̕͝s̶̡̲̘̼͍̖̫̩͇͕̯͖̗̖͗̈́́̈́̒̊̐̏̆̈̓́ḩ̸̡͖̙̤̗̜͖̉̀́͆̃̈̌͗̀̔͑̃̿ ̸̡͖͇͔̣͉̩̯̙̝͕̙̪̘̐̒̋͛̑̅͗̇̏̑̕̕͝͠ͅŏ̶̤̙̲̪̳̫̲̞̄́͆̈́̏̑͒̍̋̅̅͋͜f̵̢̫̠̮̒ ̴̡̖̗͇͓̮͓̟̀̌̓̔̀̕̕͝͠f̴͖̼̒̀̊̈́̾̒̽̅͂͌̽͐̽̕͜͝l̵͉̜͖͈̂̈͑̽̕͝ȩ̴̨̛̥͓̙̹̠̱̤̙̳͗̈́͒̏̈̓̈́̂̇͜͠s̸̹̘̰͍̼͎̐͂̀͋ḩ̵̡̬̙̙̬̭̯̗̌͒̏̆̈́̋̊́͌̆̚ͅ ̸̢̧̝̤̪̟̹͂̄̃̑̐͝ả̶͈̦͛̂͋̑n̴̘͇̖̤͙̖͕̱͚̠͆d̷̘̻̯͊̈͊̾̿̈̆̔̀̕̕͝ ̵̢̛̪͖̗̱̤̪̫̙̋̓͗̍͛̅̎̓͗̀̽̌̿b̴̡̜̪͓̰̭̩͍̰̫̩̹͊͐͗̓͊̏͆͋́̒͘ȍ̶̪͎̀n̷̢̟̫̫̠̝͔͕̩̙̦̱͙̓̾͊͑̈́̂̾͠͠ͅè̴̩̘͙͖́.̷̢͈̼̻̪͌̌̔̂̌͘ͅ ̷̨̢̧͍̯̦͓͔̘͇̞̬̘͌ͅḨ̶͎̗̣̠͍̩̥̤̣̩̖͍̟͑́̒̇̎͜͝į̸͙̳͙̝̮͙̮͈̻̞̞̘̎̍̿̔͗̉̊̚͝͠ṡ̸͔̻̗̅̃͊͋̌̍͛̋͂͌͘̕͘ ̴͖̼̹͐l̶͇̣̚͝ȩ̸̨̝̪̭̙̺̗̞͚̻̤͊̈́̾̎͊̾̍͌g̵̢̗̥͚̜͈͑̋̒̅̑͐͒̈́̎̏̈́̔̚͘s̴̢̠̘̖̪̜̱̆͆͑̓̐̅̓͆͗͗͂̒̇͊͘ ̶̢̳̦͉̤͈̞̠̣̙̣̏̂a̶̧̨̧̖̳̰̰̦͈̦̾̀̎̏̋̉̾̒̔̓̑̓̒̓͑r̸͎͖̟͉̰͔̦̫̹͖̐͑̈́̇̈́̿̃̽̇̓̇͛̂̉̕͜e̴̢̱̬̪̜̬͔̗͉̔̃͛̇̿̾͐̌̏͊̿ ̵̧̧̣̪̞̘̘̱̮͔͓͓̠̎͠͝u̷̖͕̰͈͚̭̲̲̣͛́̈́̊̎̀͌͒̊̓n̶͕͖̖͕͒̃̈̉͑̀̈́̚͝ů̷̹̘̭͚̼͌̎́̾̔͆̾̑̔̽̏̽̚s̸̡̠̦̻͚̩͉̯̊͐̑̀̄̄̊̾͋͋̓̕̕͜͝ä̴̛̩̳̱̫̝͚͍̮͎̮̠̹́̽̏̍̂̈́̊͘b̷͔͈̹̣̍̀̾̄͐̄̂̀̇̄̕͝ͅl̶̪̐́̇̏͑̂̅́͊͋̈́̓̇̈́̕ẽ̴̡̢̻̌́̊̽ ̴̢̗̙̙̻̯͉̈́̌̍̍͛̋̽̈̋̓͛̚͝͝a̷̧͔̟̗̰̦̤̻͓̙̬̟̿̑͐͑̂̆̈́͝ͅs̸̨̢̯̫̥̮̲̦͎̻̩͛̐͌̍͋͜ ̶̢̧̛̭̘̖̫̻̺̃̒́ͅt̶͍̰͓͕̦̹͉̟̺̎̇͋͌̂͗̀͛̍́͛̌̔h̷̛͕͉͖̠͎͚̓͠͠ề̷̡̡̡̨̻̺͈̬̫̞̪͖̭͓͐̂͋̇̅̈́͠ỹ̶̧͚̩̫̳̗̠͓͂͜ ̶̢̻̗͙̦͕̤͉͇͔̗͇̗̐͛͜a̴̡̩̙̞̫̗̹̦̼̺̖̥̽͑̐̆̇̉̚͠ͅṙ̶̡͕̰͎̖̣̞̦͕̱̩̮͔̎̀̇͛̚̚͜͠͝͝ė̴̡̨͔̯̱͈͓̣̝̭̙̤͗̃̆͑̆͗̈́̈̌̑͗̎ͅͅ ̷̲̗͑̈́b̸̩̳̣̠͂́̕ǫ̴̡̨͉̦̦͙̝͚́́̾͋̔̇̓͘͝t̴̨̏̈́͂̂̈̈́̒̈́͗̇͗͘ḩ̷̡̮̯̲̬̬̔̃́͗́̅̉̕̕ ̶̬̟̲̤͚͈̤̞͑̎̿̇͌͑͜b̷̡̧̙̙̹̝̲͇̲͂̔͊́̌́̚ḙ̶̘͖̞́͆̓̒͋́̊̈́̇͊̂̅͝ͅn̴̼̳̤̮̠͇̱̉͋̾͗̑͊̕͘͝͠t̶̙̲̝̗̠̘̦͎̝̺̰̂̓͌͑̃̓̂̈͌͠͝ ̵̧̧̧̛͖̝͉̦̼͈̤̾̓̍̅̓̀̐͝i̴̢̢̲̱̼̲̳̻̜̞̜̺̼͌̒̆̾̄͌̈́͒̌̈́̅̕n̵̹̖̦̱̼̠̒ͅ ̴̢̜͖̣̙̼̥͙͉͒̓͌̈́̅̑̆̈́̀̕ę̵͇͎͖͍̥̃̀͆͋͜ṋ̴̡̛̺̘̯̳̳̀̍͗́̇̈́̊̅̄͌̾̏̓̕͜ţ̴̛̞͈̥͈̠͎̣̣̐̇͌͆̈́͗͗ḯ̶̧͎̥͔̩̞̪͇̠̮͚r̷̠͚̰̳͈̘̉̍̒̀̊̓̉̐̈́̚͘͘̕ȩ̶̛͎̹̮̖̲͙̹͍̟̗̲̦̙̦̄̈́͗l̵̢̧̻͎̲̦͎̤̳̘̯̈̈́̉͗̈͛̈͗͗͋̌̾͐̀̌ͅy̴̡̲̪̯̜̘̹̘͎̞̥̆̈́̅͊ ̸̰̩̏̉͊̅̐̄̃́ͅw̴̧͇̥̙͓̻̱̦̗̮͖̘̑́̍͆r̵͖͖̪̰̱̟̲̞̲͍̗̮͆̔͛̇o̶͉͔̱̟̲̼̳̩̞͌̂̀̔̾̈́͂́́͋͋̀́͝n̵̢̙̜̘͓̯̗̪͓͍̻̍̌̇͆g̸̢̢͓͓̲͙̭̠̭̹͔͉̼̔̾͂̎̾̕͘͜ ̷̨̞̈́͌́̑͘̕͠͝d̸̛̺̫͓͓̼̋̋͂͐͐͘͝į̷̛̛̖̖̭̝̙̦͙̥̭̿̌͂͜ͅr̴̛̪̯͍̥̯͆̒͌͒͆͆͊͜͝e̸̖̣̞̮̭͖̖̰̭̹̊̋̈́͂̃̊̋̋́c̸̢̹̳̠̙̳̣̞͓͉̤̼͑̑̋̎͌̓̒͐̈́̊̚͜t̸̢̙͇̫̼̜̎͜ì̸̛̺͛͐̏̎͛̌̅͂̕̕͝ȏ̶̲̜̼̪̝̾̆̔͂̒͑̕͠͝n̶̥̫̥͕̱͈̻̰̏͊̓͗̍̓̌̋̀̂̽̕͝͝͠s̶̛̤͖̝͉̮̎͂̈̇̈̒.̴̱̣͑̽̾͐̆͝ ̸̧͚̦̙̱̇́̀̐͋̈̏̽̿͝Ḇ̸̥̣̞͉̣̳̼̦̱̈́̄͌͘͜l̸̦̼̥̟̜͇̳̱͙̠̹͎̏̓̋͂͑̆̀̿̓́̒̄̚͝ǫ̸̛͈̩̰͔̗͓͕̼̝͕̈̓̓͌̈̈́̐̕o̶̘̗̟͖̠̝̩̟͉̳̠̩̾̐̇͆̿̅̇̐̿̓̉̆̅d̷̛̰̃̀̐̇̽̄̈́̌͋̌̊̈́͠ ̴̧̤̺̩̞̻͗s̴͇͔̼̪̻̀̒͛̆̏͂͜ṷ̸̡̤̥̬̘̫͓̒̍͑̽͌̈́̉͂̉̍̇̚̚r̴̨̃́͐̾̉̊̌̈́̎́̽́̉̑̐r̷̢̛͎̘̝͙͇͍͙͍̦̱̻͂̃̈́͋̈̓̽͗̅̚̚͜ò̶̲̼͓̱̪͖̈́͐̊͂͑̋̋̌͐̕̕͠u̴̢͚̳͙͕̰̘̫̙͙̖̝̔͗̾͜n̴͍̼͇̤̮͇̻͙̥̘͙̈̀͗̏͛́̀̑́̀̂͜͜͝ͅḋ̴̛̫̗̥̖̯͉́̑̂̎̀̀̄͑͛͌̕͜͝s̶̛͚̲̐͜ ̴̛͕̹̞̥̖̤̗͍͔͊̅̓̏̿̍́̇͂̐̉͌͘h̴̨̫͍̥̠̬̫͎͍̺̣̟̍ͅì̴̡̛̺̪̖̘̱̘̮͈͉̪̈̒͌̈́̀͛͜m̶̧̨̩̳̟̜̬̩͓̤̠̏͂̉̅̈́͐̓ ̸̙̆̀̅͠͝a̴̩̗̥̐́͐̋̈́ŝ̶̢̲̪̟͇̰̼̻̖̱̳͌̚̕ ̵̰͙̼̰̄̎͗p̵̨̛͔̫̥̣͕̞͇̫̊͂͒̒̐̈̌͝a̷̛̺̺̠̖̻̿̾̎̅̏̿͋́̽̇̃͘͝ͅȋ̷̟̲̥̦̙̭̊n̷̨̛͇͔̪̹̟̒̒͌̓͑̀̿̈́̎ ̴̨̮̤̭͎̥͇̻͎͆ͅo̴͓̝̰͎̒̈́͒͛͜v̷̨̢̼̰̙͉̰͚̩̦̈̈́̾̓̕e̸̢͈̪͔̣̦̬̹̣͋̈̂̀̑͋̎́͘r̶̙̼̻̱͕̞͕̙̩̼̽̔͐̋́̾̃̈́͗̀̋̊̀͘̕w̸̡̢̱̩̯͊̆͗̐͑̌̂̽̋̑̎̑̚ȟ̴̨̪̳͉͒̒̋̑ȩ̶̺̝͕̜̱̝̙̟̪̖̥͚̰̃̈͋͋̍̓̽̎̑̄̓́̇̊͂ľ̸̛̲͕̣̮̭͛̊̈́̽̑͝m̴̧̢̜͍̪̹̹͓̜̓̓͜s̸͉̩͚̬̫̥̯͔̝̼͖͍͒̆̑̔̔͜͜͠͝ ̸̧̹̰̤̞͈͚͓͈̥̈́͐͝a̶̟̭̦̼̋͊̎̀͑̊͊̈́́̓͘̚ͅḷ̶̢̡̡̺̘̺̘̫̜̪͙̤̝͛̽̚l̴̢̢̢̡͕̯̪̫̖̞̬̰̰̓͘ͅ ̷̪͇͚͈̞̳̮̞͕̥̩̀ô̵͉͇̺̣͙̥̱̠̞̜̼̰̼̋͆̒̊͜͜͝f̷̨͔͍̥͓̣̼̳͇̗̩̯̺͂̑̓̃̀͊̾̽̇̿͐̂͝͠ͅ ̸̲̙͗h̷͓̏̐͆̊̔́í̵͎̱͚̪̫̻̦̖̳̫̈́̊̎͌͘s̴̠̯̥̬͋̈́̽͑̒̍̔̊͜ ̸̡̢̡̨̨͈͈͓͔̰̯̖̉͛̄̈́̐́̆̃͊̾͋̋̚͠͝s̷̨̥̘̺͓͆͐̂̿̀̑̈́́̉̓̚͝ͅę̶̡̣̩̼͉͇͔̣̥̍̓̊̂́̓͋̎̐̒͆̈́͜͝͠ͅn̷̝͔̹̭̺̫͍̂͑͊͠s̵̙̪̖͕̟̤̭̪̒̒͒̌͐̎̔̈́̐͒̂͝e̴͔̲̗̅̒̄͂̍̾̂̑͝͝s̷̘̤̱̞̝͍̳̥̱̠̻̺̗̈́͌͒̓̋͌̃͊.̴̻̪̇̆́ ̶̗͙̳͈̠͓̪̻̤̠͔̠̩̹͖͋̈́Y̴̢̡̫̝̫̙̯̣̙̪͙͙̯͛̆̔̚͜͠e̶̛̛̙͙̳̠̪̿̀͘t̸̘͍̬͉̹̥̱̓͂ͅͅ ̴̨̛̤͖̰̟̙̲̎̑̒̿̌̋̆̓̉͂̋̕̚͝ǫ̴̨̣̰͚͎͓̖̦̘̮̈̊̓͊͆̂̀̐̾́̒͘͜n̸̨͕̯̪̓͌l̸̗̣̮̪͖̜̭̹̼̳̲̘̑̾̐ỳ̷̡̢̨̞͚͍͛͠ ̵̡̛͍̻̠̱̬̝̪̹͕̦͔̹͊̔̂̏̄̽͜ȏ̸̥̳̦͚̄̏̈̐̐̍̑͝ṇ̸͚̙͖͇̓͐̏͌͐̚͝ȩ̷͓̝͍̘͓̫͓͍̻̙̹̣́̅́͋̅̈͂͛͊́́͌̓͐ ̸͉̞̽̑̾͆͠t̸͔̜̻͎̘̝̫̪͎̭͖̰̺̂́̕͠ḧ̵͈̒i̴̧̙̪͈̪̋̀̈̆ń̵͇̘̹͕͉̆̌̎͌͠g̵̡̢̨͚̘̰̩͍̯̙̲̥̑͒̿ ̵̦̯̯̯̱̱̥̭͕͇̪̉ͅĩ̴͔̗̣̱̦͇͍̆̇͒͊s̶͉̣̱̆͐̏̋͌̃̋͋̄͗̽͘͝ ̵̹̥̥̞̭͚̯̟̬̣̭̉̃̓ǒ̵̰̙̖̺̻̜͈̘̣͆́͘̚͝ṅ̶̨̤̻̗̮ ̴̧̨̢͔͚͉̳͎̮̟̩̻͇̐͊ḩ̷̯̄͛̆́̐̽͆̈́͌̽̓͘͝ḯ̵̹͕͓̹͈̞̩̤̪̙̝̳ş̶̢̺̘͉͙̤̼̖͙̦͙̗͊̏͜ͅ ̴̛͍̰̭̮̣̳̐͒̌͒͋̌̃̾̆͌͝͠m̵̛̖̟̃̀̍͒͋̀̌͒͠i̵̳͙̼̍́̾̈́̈̍͋̀͝͠n̶̦͓͖̟̠̘͉̹̻̳̝͚̈d̵͈̲͕̜̝͖̥́.̶̡͖̮̮̖̙̳̅̑̀̿͘ ̷̡̼͕͖̩̓̅̌̒̀̏̎R̴̖͎̻͙̦̭͉͔͎͍͒͗̀̍̆̋͐͂ę̸̨̩̘̗͙̂́̏ẳ̸̩̣̮͚͖̥̫̈͜c̸̢̰̗͕͈̗̜͔̜̟̩̞̬̜̈̚h̵̬̜͖̝̘͍̬̜̤͖̏̄͜ͅī̷̧̪̻̝̖̪̩͎̖̭̲͙͑̊̏̐̋̀͆̓̐̆̊͘͜ņ̷̹̠̩̮̦̦̳͓̪̙͓͈̩͑̓̕͘͜g̵̢̡̯̳̹̭͉̫͔̻̜̼̼̾̅̌̎̋́̌̎́̈̾̑͐̍̓ ̴̜͐͌͆̎͌͠͝o̵̯̩̯̚ư̸͔̩͖̟̘͚̝͓͓̈́̽̈́ͅt̵̖̳̃̆̈́͑̓̾͝ͅ ̸̩̞͔̈́̽̂͆̋̇͒̇̀̕̕͝t̶̢̢͚̭͉̋̈́͊̀͘ơ̸̡̜̠̲̑̓̽̌̒̇̌̀̓̆͂͘w̷̡̛̫̳̲̩̰̪̱̹͉͗̆̀̅̀̈́̉á̵̧͕̺͓̟̮͈̓̆͜ŕ̴̢̭̲̦͍̰̯͔̠̾̉͊̐̎̽̂́͘̚͜ḑ̷̨̛̲͓͔̣̳͈̪̙̰͍͔͖͛͛̽͂̀ͅș̵̨͔̭͎̦̪̲͖͈̝́̍͝ ̴̡̡̢̡̺͉͙̬̦̱̟͚̈́̿̑̈́͐̋̋̀͋̊̅͛̔̚ţ̴̖͖̱͉̬̩̫͗̉̍̆́͋̑͐͊̈́̑͑̚͘͝ͅḩ̴̭͇̫̳̙̜̦̼̻̣͑̈̋͛̂̽̏ȇ̸͉ ̷̢̧̜͚̙̺̰͍͓͈̖͔͎̰̣̋̾̅̚̕H̷̖͎̠͉͓̟̲̺̗̤̄̋̈́̽̍͐̇̅̒͜e̵̢̨̥͓̱̼͕̳̠̾̿̿͋̋̿̊̔̔͊̕̕͠͝ḁ̷̓͛̓̄̊̈́͌̈͝v̶̙̆̽̇́̀͛̂̓͜e̷͕̺͍͚̤̪͎̘͛̇̓̀̄͆̈́͌̆͆̌̿̌͘͠ͅň̷͎̦͉̮̳͔̰̭̺͇̮̪͈͕͓̆͋̉̓̇̓̅̚s̵̡̛͇͉̼̜̑͂̀̿͂̀͐̀̔,̸̡̞̣̳̪̼̭̝͙̫͈̰̪̰̰̀͊͛̉̓̃̇ ̷̛̜͔̙̠͖̬͒̽͊͒͂̓̍̑̓̕͠K̵̘͇̩͔̰̰̩̻̻̱̖̖̾́̂͂̇̐̋̇͘â̶̡̙͍̺̳͉͙͋̉̊z̸̧̢̡̢͇̳̫̹̩̹̮̻̑̊̎͝u̷̧̝̞͔̫̣̦̠͓̱̥͎͎͕͊̃̌͜͝͝h̴̨̢̤̙̩̪̅͒̇̀̀i̶̤̠͕͔̦̘̇̽̾k̵̨̡̨̛̩͙̼̩̙̗͔͎̥͎̼̘͋̏̐̓̾̿̇̒̚͝ö̷̢̧̪̱̘̟̱̥́̀̾̆̒̓̾̆̿̃̕ ̷̹͈̹͇̯́ͅḩ̷̯̜̦̥̹͈͇̠̻͖̓̅͌͂̆̇̐̌̆̂̉̈́̕a̴̠̘̟̗̬͐̿̉̀̌̈́́̚̕s̴̛̜̓̇̈́̎̅͋͐̋̅͌̚ ̶̢̫̦̆̎̇̀͋͂̈́̃̑̏̏̈̕o̴̧͕͓̓́̔̀̽̽̕͜͝n̷̢̳̪̻͇̩̤͎̞̲̳̟̖͇̈́͆̍̀ě̵̛̱̂͌̓̃̾́̒̈́̚͠ͅ ̵̢͙͇̻̮͍̗̜͔̬͗̉̈̓͊͗̂̈́́̀̑͒̈́̚̚ͅļ̷̟͔̼̤̌̃́̀͂̈́̂́̿̋̚̕å̴̝͊̾́̀̋̔̓͗̂̄͋͑͊̌s̷̪̙̯̱̞̳̈̉́̃̒͌͊̏t̸͖̜̍̏͛ ̷̮̺̜̩͚̱͂̂̔̇̇͑͋͑̒̋̒̄ẗ̷̢̡͈̺̺̥̰͉̮̳̦͓́̓͒̽h̶̨͎̻͔͕̘̮̪̥̳̰͝ͅȉ̸̞͚̜͚̜̘̦̞͕͉͌̈͜n̷̛͙̺̆̈̌͊͂̓͊̋̌͐̒͌͘͝g̴̨̫̝̣͍̬͔͓̪͖̬̠̮̀̈́̉̍͜͝ ̴̢̧̳̥̟̠̬͎͓̰̉̊͝t̸̬̦̼͍̳̳̻̫͙̟̊̍͒̈́̓̍̎̿̃̀͋̈́̑͝ǫ̵͉͈̪̗͚̞̠̜̞̙̣̫͔̋͋̑͋͠ ̵̥͙̭̱̮̗͚͍͍̹̠̼̗̀͋̽̏̍̾̉̌̍́̀̚͜͜s̷̢̫̭̟̥̗̘̫̟̠͕͍̮̣͒͗̾̉͊͗̾́̐̒̏͜͝ä̷̞͈̱̘̤́̓y̴̢̺̘̜͔̲̏̄̉ ̶̧̛̪͎͚̼̝̪͖͎̺̝͔̹͗͋̾̔̓̃̓̎͂͝į̵͔̝͐̒͂̀͛͑ṇ̷̨̺̦̖̤̙̱͍̑̑̇͋́̊̿͐͝ ̷̧̨̮̱͍͉̫̺͉͉͑̾͑̇͊ͅt̶̜͎̱͖̘̤͉̪̞͙̹̋̍̓͒̋̽̽̄̊̒̌̊̂͘h̸̗̮̅̈́̐́͐̉̈́̍̌̑̚͝i̸͙̅̌̄́̂̉̽̐͒̓͒s̶̳̜͑́̂̓̔͗̀͒̍͜ ̵͖̙̫̲̩͉̻̗̫͉͑͛̃͂̋͊̒̄̽͊̓̈́̄̾ç̵̛̖͍̭͔̯͚͙̠̱̥̱̉̃̂̉ͅr̴̮̺͓͕͔͉̿̇̉͐̿̈́̐̅́͜͝͝ư̸̰̓̒̀͋͆̐̇̃̈́̔́e̴̼̮͖̠̍̇͐̍͛̿̉̀͐͋́͛̍́͗ḽ̶̛̯̩̼͚̙̈́̍̈̕ ̸̡͙̩̫̰̖̺̞͍̺͗̈́͋͛̓͒̋̾̇̀̆͗͘͝͝w̵̫̭̹͙̞͈̿͋̎̒̑õ̸͈̠̞̞̗̋̃̿̒͋̔r̵̗̙͇̮͈͓̦͙͓͙̪̟̼̤̅͗́͌ļ̵̦̦͖̦̟̪̞̣̦͔͉͙̃͂͗̌̆̓̆͝͝d̵̢̺̥̺͕͔͎̻̼̬̤̜̦̗̍̈́.̷̪̱̺͔̺̺͌̑ ̸̧͙̤̮͎̯̼̝̒̆̊͂̓̀̔́͗̌̋̉͜͝"̴̢̳̪̩͙̗͐̽͌̚̕Ạ̷̡̧͉̩̥̙̭̹͆̈́̈̏́͂̐̽͘͠y̵̪̳͊̀́̐̾̑͊̓͗̚͘͜ā̴̡̢͙̪̫̻͓̑̎͘,̷̢͍̳̘̼̰̬̥͕̫̖̟̠̝͑̅̍̓̈́̚͠ ̵̡̧͕͕̟͈͂͐̀̌̂͛͛͠Ị̴͕̻͚̤͆ͅ ̶̢̻̘͇̊̿̿̑́̽̄̒͘ͅl̸̡̙̗͔̯̳̰̘͉͖͇̈́͂͐̃ō̶̳̜̬͍̈̀̆͒̒v̷̝͕̪̝̪̲̱̖̭͒̓̋̋̃̋̈́͜͠ͅe̶̩̤͂̔̋̉͝ͅ ̵̛̛̳̲̙̻̭̫̘͙͈̠̭̜̹̑͋̉̒͒͂̀̚̚ȳ̷̨̰̙̮̙̱̪͍̳̈̐̐̃ǒ̵̡̭̫̲̯͙̩̘̅̊̃̑̈́̈́̈́͊̎͗̚͠ͅu̷̩̮͉̓̿̍̐̍̅̈́͝.̴̧̖̣̳̣̣̦̫͉͎̦̜̾͌̓̂͌͝͝.̷̧̛̬̺̠͇͎̭̥̀͛͐̓̍̋̔̊̑̚̚͘.̷̟̓̇͆͗͊̇͐̈́́̇̇̚I̴̛͓̱̬̫͖̖͓͈̪̬̓̊̀͋̅̆̀͗̿̆̈́̽͝'̶̘͕̰̪̐m̵̙͉̙̤͚̰̣͉̩̦̊͐̍͛̅͛̂̔̂͋̀̕ ̴̨̧̱͕̙̯͍͙̯͓̮͑̍s̶̼̮̹̺̖͇͔͈̀̐̉̔͌̎̏̈́̈́̀͜͠ͅo̸̧̮͓̳̙͕̘̠̲͉̲͚͔̥̎̒͋̿̃̽͂̊̏̌̈́̓̕r̴̢̨̛͍̥̘̻͖͔̖̜̲͋͒̈́͗̔̔͝r̴̨͍̹̋̿̀̒̏̋̓̂͌̊͒̅̀̈́y̶̭͎̼̰̼̲̪̠̥̜̞̖͕̫̗̆̓͛̂̔̅͘.̸̧̻̙͙̗̦̥̜̙̹̭̞͍̉̕"̴͚̩̯͂̾͛͛͊̑̈́̽̈́̅͊́͗͝ ̷̛̘͗͗̐̽͜͝T̷̯̪͉͂̔̿͑͗͒̊̅̚̕̕h̶̢̳̩̰̪̮̻̼͎͖̓̅̽e̴̡̩̺͎̰̞͚̫͔͓͎̭͚͑͊̅̓n̷͙͌̿̀̈́̕͘ ̴̘̒̄̈̓̔̎̔̏̕͠h̷̭͓̗̼̟̟͈̠̲̰̙̔̂͂͋͐͂̉̋̾͘͝͝͝ͅe̴̡̝͖̳̠̥͍̎̍̅̓̑ ̴̨͍̈́̿͗̔͑̾͒f̵̞̰̀̂̾̈́͊̅̎̆̒͂̈́̕͝͝ͅͅą̴̛̲̱̉̔̉̒̐͛̆̈́̀̚͝l̴͍̜̜͇̳̳͍̺͈̯̂̊̒̈́̈̋̃̑͊̇̔͝ͅl̶̨̢̡̻̠̘͓͚͙̠̬̦͕̮̤̒̈͒̎̎̐́͝s̷͚̯̫͐͐̉̐͑͗̋̅̄̓̉̀̐͘͝ ̷̹̺̅ơ̸̢̧͌̽̊̔̓̚͝n̷̹̲̪̭͓̙͖̮̟͇͗́̆͋̀̒̓͘͜͜t̸͕͕͉͑̂̏̀̔̒̂o̷̢̡̮̘̖͗̈̑͌̓̌ͅ ̴̢̛͕̠͍̲͈͔̘͖̲̝̲̈͗̔͛̾̂̿̀̒̐́͜t̵̛̤̞̳͈̹͋͆̽͗h̵̲̒̊̀̄͑͗͗e̴̡͓̫̽͌̃̾͘͝ ̸̰̀̿̑̂̎̽̀̽̈́͋̊͐̾͝f̷̖̱̂̓́͠i̷̝̗̟̣̞͂̔͋̓́̐̇̚͜l̶͈̲̜̙̿e̵̙̱̙̯̓̏͒͌́͆ ̶͇̙̭̬͙̗̦̤̲̼̦́͒̌̋͐̀͘ò̵͔̏̏̉̔͋͠f̷̺̠̥̼̺͓̺͚̆̈ ̵̢̣̯͚̩̝͎̖̯̘͒̔̈ŗ̴͈̰̘͍͓̝͉̦̤͕̲̯̜͆́̌͐̕͠u̵̦̻̮̇̉͂̎̈́ḅ̵͔͕͍̲͒̾̀̿͋̓͘͝͠ͅb̶̛̫̰̒̽͒̋͆̂̂̿̋̓ľ̵̜͈̩̲̣͈͖̼̹̻̬̬̈̍̒̿̃̌̀̄̾͠ȅ̵͎̳̆̈́̀̊͑̀̑̂͐̈́͆͝,̸̛͕͔̖͇͔̺̟͑̍̑̉͐̂̿͋̍̽͛̽͜͠ ̶̝̐͒̈́b̸̡̧̛̬̻̪̤͙̩̼̘̟͉͇̠͚͊̾̾̒̈́̃̐̆̒̃̏̕͘͝ē̵̡̨̧͙͓̻̩̜͆͑̍̀́̎̽͝i̷̛̙̍̓͋͂́̐̽͊̎͘͝n̴̡̞̝̟̠̰̪͎̻̲̓̆͐͋̅̄͗g̴̗̱̪̰͉̦̱̰͉͎̊ͅ ̶̢̭͍̬̪͖͙̝͎͍͍̬͓̺̗̀̓͐̿̒̈̀̚t̷̗̬̳͕̝̣̪̺̟̪̏̈́̚o̷̢̗̭̯̩͉͍̾̅̋́ř̸̨̪͇̱̎̇t̷̰̯̹̥̩̼̀̅̾̑͆̑͛̿͠ư̴͕̰̙͍̬̝̰̤̂̀́͒̌͋̔̈́̃̚͝r̵͓̺̮͎̻͔̆͂͆͐͂͛̈̂͆̈͌̐͘͘͠e̶̛̮̍̒̆̾̈́̊́̉̿̉̿̚d̵͙̲̳͔̘̪̗̮̝͒̓̃̆̌͗̉̂́́̆̚͝͝͝ ̷̡̛̛̩̹̲̤͖͙͂̏͑͑̈́͌͒̚ͅf̷͉̹͚̼̞̀̒̑̆͜͜ô̸̡̩͉̼̜̫͇̲̮̮̩͊͑͆̐̽͠͠r̴̝͚̪͔̱̪̀͌̇͘e̶̢̛̜̜̞̖̯̝̪͙̠͍̣̗̫͂̍v̸̡͚̗̝̞̦͖͈̫̪͑͋͂e̷̺̦̓͂͛͑̍̈́͑̈́̈̌̚ŗ̷̢̨͕̞̜̻͙̜̣̘̀͒͋͂̃̚͜͜͝ͅm̸̧̢̙̪̥̬͈̽͗̇̒͑͐̊̒̉̎͂̑͛͘͝ͅͅö̵̝̻͙̲̩̠̹̗̣́̽̃͂̆́͜͠ŗ̸̫̮̣̳̳̝̻̋́̓̋͗̒̈́́̕͝͝ȩ̴͈̊̚.̴̣̱̠̣̙̲̲̲̖͙̮̯̘̓̃͌͛͘͜ͅ ̵̡̧̯̺̳̰͙̙͖͂̿͂̄̿̈́͜͠ͅ

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A̴̠̖̩̻͇̟͗͝y̵̘͊̒̄̐́͝ằ̸̡͇̻̖̠̙̦͕̼͆͐̽́͘n̷̢̛͖̫͉͕̱̫̟̰ǫ̶͖̟͎̗̝͔̰̜̩̭͈́́̽̆̈́̄͒̏͐͘ ̶̡̝̻̟̜̘̿̉̃̽͒͑̍i̷̲̟̟̭̠̮͍̮̮͓͈̰̅̅͌͛̕ş̷̡̟͈͈̝͉͚̥͎̯̻͓͖͕̆̀̂̇̿͑͋̇̈͊̓̕͝ ̴̠̟̻̞̖͕̗̤̙̟̃̃̒̾̄̒̾̉̚ṇ̵̛̠͍͇͗̀̈́̾̐͐̓͑̎́̅̈́̚̕͜ͅó̴̢̧̤͉̭̳͒ ̵̨̛̪͎̙̪͉͎͓̼͖̽̿ļ̵̠̙̆̔̊̀̈́͂̇̉͒̈́̒̍̕̕ǒ̴͖̤̳̘͇̰̦͈̜̂ͅņ̴̢̢͔̯͕͆͜͜͝g̴̨̛̙͔̞̩̥͎̼͙̃̿̇͑̎̌̔ė̶͚̗͓̼̝̓͊̆͂̓̈́͊̀̊͂̎̋͘͘r̵̢͓̪̹̒̊͑̅ ̶̰̱͍͓͊̏͊h̸̖̅ë̴̫͔̜̊͆̅̒͐̐̿̏͝r̷̝͖̘͈̜̠̳͆͆ͅs̵̡͚͎̘̤̜̺͉͒̎̾̈́̀̽͒̋̚͝ę̵͓̂̌̃̈̽̀̽̎̾͝l̴͕̝̿̆͐̀͛̌͝f̵̡̡͚̲̭̣͎̰͍̯͕͍̓̊̄̓́̌̿́ ̴̢̡̢̡̫̞̪̝̣̺̹͉̣̰̙̇̏̊͌̋̉̄͐̾̎̚̚͝ȧ̵̡̨̨̜̙̹͚̯͈͇̪͎̋̽͆̂̎͒̔͘n̷̋̿̓̄͐̎͑͋̀̆ͅd̵̯̱̦̠̝̙̜͕͎̂̓͐́ ̶̡̛̳̗̞͛̀̆̀͋̓̌͊̍̏͝d̷̺̙̜̯̺͈̘̼̫̘̰͆͂́̈́͐̀́͘̕͜͝ͅo̷̡̡̼͖͇̖̤̫̮̖̼̤͕̭͎͑̋̓ẽ̴̢̲̳̯̗̜̬̰̙͌̃͗̓ͅş̸̛͎̻̣͚͖̼̦̞̆͛̇̿̈́́̀̽̈́̄̓͛͌͝ ̸̢̩̺̣̖̺͇̤̠̬̱̙͍̇̌͜n̷̢̧̞̰͔̟͎͇͓̣̻̏̊̎̽͐̈́͆̅̽̎͗͒̎̅ơ̴̱͓̬̩̖̳͚͔̣͂͆́̓̚t̸̢̝̯͈̼̭͖̓̐̎̄̀̔̓͘͝ ̴̭͎͙͓̗̩̬̩͑̂̇̃̍̔̃̔͋̋͠h̴̢̺͙̣̝͍̼̻͆̊̂̅a̸̹̦̻̳̙͈͚͓͉̰͕̻͍̐v̸̨̛͍͇͍̪̼͇̲̻̠͚͍̯̩͔͒̉̆͒́͂̕ȇ̸͚͔̘̮̯̥̣͍̯̣̓̔͊͌͝͝ͅ ̵̮̈́̐̈́ţ̴͉̯̱̖̯̻͗h̵͍̹̜̲̔̿͊͘͠e̸̺̭̱̰̣̣̙͙͖̭̟͖͌͝ ̸̢̫̟̘̫̩̻̩̮̭̯̗͔͉̎p̴̨̢̣̬̼̜̳͖̹̪̼͓̍̐̈́̏͌͗͐̚͘͝l̵̡̢̛̛̮̪̹͓͇̂̐͊̐̓̂͗̃̽̄̚͜͠e̶̡̫̗̙̭̲̳͎̦̣̍̅̊̂̏̅̓̉̊̈́̒͋̈̆ͅa̶͔̾̀̍̓́͂̃̇̃̄̉͘s̶̺͒̆̒̓̈́͒͝û̸̡̧̲̦̩̮̞͈͙̖͉̼̲̞̣̓͝r̷̨̨͙̦̠͙̖̼̭̅̔̄͛͜͜͝e̵̥͙̗̤͚̋͐̽̔́̂̾̀̐̒̓͘̕̚͝ ̴̧̝̪̻̠̥̠̣̋̑͌͒͋͆̉̽͋̓̾̒̾͝ͅỏ̸̡̗͚̫̯̤̇̌͑̈́̀́̏͘f̶͎͇̙̜͓̮͇̞͖̜̊̏̈́̇̑̑͋͌̌͗̍̚̚͠ͅͅ ̴̧̡͓̗̦̙͖̪̤̭͖̣͔͓̓͗̍͛͗͒̐͘d̷͔̅̀̈́̇ÿ̶̢̼̲̮͙́̇́͒͛͂̋̈́̍̊̀̕͝͝͠î̶̢̡̧̻̣̻̬̤̪͖̩͈̗͔̫̿̎́̉̒̽͐̃̿̕͝n̴̢͍͖̘̖̙̼̭̩̮̝̭̬͙̆̔ͅg̴̤̙̜̪͑ ̴̢͍̭͇̱̱̹͎̒̂ẁ̵̨̗̈̀́̐̉̑̐̒̉̐́̋̋͝i̶̡̢̩͚̱͚̝̅̀͋̊̉̅̂̈́̌͠t̸̙̃̍͆͌̑̎̈́̈̈́̐̅͂̉̕h̵̡̛̘͇̰̲͙̼́̀̄̿̊̊̚͠ȯ̴̢̨̗̩͓̗͈̣̻̺͙͒̈̊͑̓̿̓͆͐̔̎̕̚̚ứ̷̼̪̻̅̓ṫ̴̛̼̩̻̤͓̝̙̼̟̬͖̬̋̀̂̈́͂̆̊̽́̈͘̚ ̵̛͎̮̹̈́́͗̈́̉̾̉͋̎͝͝h̴͖̦̦̼͔͈̣͚̆͑͗̍͜ą̶̗͙̣͊͊͋͘̚v̵͖̏̆̄̉͋̃̎͗î̴̢͖̱͍̇͊̽͛̇̉́̍́̈̀̕n̸̟̝͖̲̭̝̫̠̖̱̼͐̐̊̾̍̉̂g̴̢̨͓͈̱̞͉̬͘ ̶̫̹̭͔̓̂͗̐͜͠t̷̤̙̪͋̀͂͒̌͗͂̀̀̒̈́͛͘̕͠ö̷͔́͂̈̑̑̊̚͠ ̴͉̱̤̮̓͗̒͛̊̏̓͂͜w̶̧̢̤̹̹̻̳̩̙̹̲̞̰͙̅̽̄̉̌́̓͐͛̄̇̐͂̕̕͜ȩ̷̧̠̜͇̱̤̯̻̗̰̥͛̓̅̈́̃͊̈́͊ͅȁ̶̡̼͖̬͚͕̰͇͇̟̱͓̀͗̍̆̓̚̕͝r̸̡̨̬͖̞̱̼̦͉͚͚̓͐͌̊̾ ̵͇͓̥̞̳͎̪̤͇͍͕̺͖̯̂̽̅̆̅͋̈̎̓̚͜͠͝a̶̢͓͎̹̰͓̟̱̟͛́͐͂̽͂̄̾̕͘͜ ̸̨̬̹̥͈̬̖͑̄͒̐̂̈́͜ͅṁ̸̛͓̻͈͚̖̯͌̋̌͊̅̾͑a̵̧͓̣̽̌͋̋s̷͍͕͙̠̤̉k̵̙͈̉̓̃͒ ̸̛̗̫͇͗̀̃̿̾͆́̈́̒͘ͅơ̴̧̤̣͓̞̩̼̅̐̈́̀̌̿̓̾̓́́̐̾͝f̵̛̫̳̰͔̲̅̈̆̓͗̓͑̇̈́ ̵̡̧̡̧̖͈͚̘̭̬̠̞͉̖̰̏͑͌̒͂͗͐̓̀͐̈́a̴̞̞̪̞̯̞̒̈͒̓͒̏̊ͅn̶͚̻̯̩̻̩̰̱̹͇̬̞̣̓̽̏̿̀̑̀͌̿͊̾͘ ̵̨̛̣̰͖̒̇̓̃̈́́͒̓́͂̌͊̄͑i̵͖͓̙̤͈͇̭̥̝̒̃n̴̡̠̗̻͖̻̱̲̻̯̪̖̳̺͑̀̈́͊̽͌͜͠f̵̣͔͒̓̍͌̓̑̇̇̚͝a̵̦͍͌m̵̨̩̝̲̻̺̳̙̟̗̝̔̎̀́̈́̕͘͝͝o̷̫͍͗̆̅̔͗̅͘ͅư̶̢̡̡̛̘̜͔̤̖̣͉̱̩̥͑̐̐̆̒́̈́̀̉̑̔͌ͅs̶̫͙͖̯͙̎̍̃ ̸͉̠̪̖͙͉̰̗̬̓͆́̈́͋̇̉̍̏̑͘̕m̵̧̧̧̗͚̬̻̤̲̃͑̂ų̶̮̺̥͇̱̟͖̙̝̮̻̈́ͅŕ̴͍͖̦͕̳̰͎͙̹̗͎͌͊́̀̿̈́͋̐̊̃̄̕͜d̵̡̙͖͍̈́̽̀͠e̵̢̨̢͓̟̭͔̖͙̰̞̝̻̰͊͊̏́̿̂̀̈́̌͘ṙ̸̗̈̈̂͐͗̽̑̈́̎̕͝͝͠e̸̞͈͍̬̙̯̘͖͔͍̯̬̓͗̔͌̏̂͊͆̍͑͊̋r̴̡͖̹̾͆̔̅̒̎͛͋̈́̓̄͛̆̕͝.̴̰̪̯͇̫̩̞̩͇̗͙͑̀̄́͑́̎̃̈́̈́̂̍̕ ̶̧̢̛̹̝̠̹̘͇̲̭͌̂̃͋́ͅḂ̴̧̛̻̟̘̘̲̒̓̉̓̃̒͆͌̅̌͗͑e̷̮̤̼̦̙̲͉̜̞̯̪̪͇̗̮͑́̎́̂i̸̺̬̤͍͋́̂͌̑̎n̵̡̥̰͍̥̼̞̦̩͆̈́̑͋͒͜g̵̍͜ ̴̛̥͙̩̠̺̰͖͖̓̉͊̐̀̽̅̈̋̋͘̕̚͜a̸̳̲͗̾͒̊̒̑͠l̶̰͙͔̬̹̜̹͓̹̝̝͚̺̽̉̂̂̂ŗ̷̛̩̤͎̼̘̪͎̖̠͖͗̾͆͛̆̃e̶̺̘̜̿̊̀͂̍͆̈́́̋͑̈́͐̀͠a̴̤̹̘̗̩͕̳̒̒̓̚d̵̨͎̩̞̻̪̦͓͍̱̘͍̲̥̩̉̎̅̾̃ÿ̵̨̟̯̬̻̯͓̟̯́̋̿̃̊̿͌̐͛̔͐͆͝ ̷͉͍̬̹̹͖̝̱̱̼̠̿́̂̎͆̌̈́̇͂̈͜͝ͅc̵̝̄̈̆l̵̡̟̲̪̺͉̏̔̒͒̑̿͂̽͗͑͊͐͠͝ë̶͔̻͔͇̞̲̮̝̺̙̟̲͓́͐͗͆̔́̂̋̌̆ͅạ̴̧̡̡̺͇̣͉̙̑͆̆͠r̵̝̪̠̱̙̥͎̱̗͒̉͝l̴̲̩̻̣͎̬͚̪̯̇͆̊̒͑̑̏͝͝ͅŷ̸͉̩̬͉̳̦͖͈̩͒ ̵̨̨̢̤̲͇̱̲̗̥̫̫̼̼͂͜b̸̲̺͍̹̫̣̳̹̥̓͐̈̃̋̋̋̏̊ȓ̵̢͖̬̱̘̳̟̰͍͇̮̗̦̋̇̐̚͜͝ȕ̴̢͙̹̆͒̓̿̆͌̈͜t̶̨̢̳̘͓̳́͗̒̌ä̴̦̞̳̝̰̮̦̣́̿̔͒̽̉̎͌̃̈́̑̚̚ḷ̸̫͓͙͇͕̻̩̏͋͌͜͝l̵̩͚͉͎͇͇͑y̴̢̡̟͈̻̦̳̝̟̻̋͗̾͋̈́̏̍̉̄̓̂͋̚ ̶̜̝̞̄̂́̚͝t̶͓̟̱̮̜͔͈͉͂̈́̉̏͒͘ǫ̴̨̖͓͙̖̥̬͎͓̒͛̅́̓̏̄͆́ṟ̵̡͖͉̲̮͍͎̔̔̂͘ţ̵̪͈̮̻̱̯̼̍ų̴̦̊̎̓̓̓͝͠r̷̢̧̛͙̺̣̻̖̠̣̼͂̓͊̉͑̄̍͠͠͝ȩ̴̨̢̨̈́͊͒̿́͑͌̕͝ͅd̵̮͔̤̣́͆͝,̴̧̬̗̝̼̦̖̫͖̞̑͂̔̌͂̈̊̆̋͜ͅͅ ̷̝͌̐̿̋̆͌̏̉͠Ã̸̢̢̤̺̪̬̗̪͓̰͖̟͓̦̤͆ý̶̧͇̥͉͓̥̳̘̳̹̹̦̫̬̾̽̆͛̔̀̋̀͒̏͂͠͝ą̷̢̨̨̧̢̨͕͓̩͈̘̦́͛͗͊͊̐͛̂̆͋̅̔̍̚͠ͅn̵̢̛̪̻̟͖̅̎̒̏͋͌̆̉́̅́́̚ơ̶̧̤̘̣̗̱̱͇͙̲̟͔̐́̆̅̊̋͋̂̈͌͝ͅ ̵̢͇͇͈̞̪̭͖̖̥̲͑͐̉́̄̽͊͝ͅc̶̡̨̡̪̳͚̼͙̰̻͍̥̻̳͉͐́͗̋̌̃͛̉̒͒̽͋a̸̗͎̠̰̗͕̜̮͎̽͛̑̑͌͒͘̚͝n̷̨̞͎̣͈̮̤͉̔̀̀͋̈́́̆͌͗̄ͅ ̵̡̡̧̫̺̩͙͓͉̹̋̓̅̓́͜d̶̡̥͖̮̣̙͔̫̲̮͇͈̰̿́̔͌̃̈́͑̋̈́̕͝͝ͅǫ̶̲̠̫͇̃͆̓́̇̈̀͌̅̔̋̂̍̚͝ ̷̡̤̱͔̗͓̼̦̘̳͊͋̆̃͑̈̆̄̈́͒͆̊͘̚ͅn̸̩̟̪̜͎͚͓̪̈́͂̿̈́̑͋̈̀̆̌͒̚͠͠o̶̡̥̟̦͓̻̤̲̹͔͎̠̿̍͋t̵̩̟͙̖̠̤͛̊͜h̶̛͍͛͋̑͑͝͝į̶̧̡̖̻͈̜̟̟̤̥̄͒͛̊̔̽͌̈́̊͗͌n̷̨̧͔͎̗̩̣̼̘̜̱̭̹̆͜ͅg̴͎̲͈̖̘̾̿̌́̄̋ͅ ̵̛͓̣̺̬͓̤̗̟͈̲̩̣̘̲͒̓̔̈͆͠ͅb̶̞̱̌̉́̋̽͛̽̂ŭ̸̢͔͓͇̜͓̦̯̯̗͔͙̖̞̩̐̀ẗ̸̨̢̯̣̻͚̹̼̤̙͇̮́̓̏̔͠ ̵̢̛̭̮̯̞͇̝̼̱̼̟̔̓͗́̈̑͊ͅͅs̴̳͛͛̓̈́̑̚̚m̶̹̔̄̒̓́í̷̞͚̉̕ͅĺ̵̨̨̧̻̥͎̯͍̜̩͎̜̼̣͗̔̆ͅē̴̛̝̩͚̫̠͕̞̗͈͆ ̶͉͖͙͔̩͋́̀̈ą̸̳̮̪̩̽͒̐̀̒͐̒̂̏s̷̗͙͇͖̣̥̱̰̤̫̼͎͗́̀̾ ̵̡̢̜̲͓͇̹̓́̐͂ͅs̶̨̧͍̯͎̟̠͕͓͓̲̾h̸̛͚͒͊̅̈͂̓̃͗̾̚̚ȅ̸̜͈͆ ̵̡̥̭̘͖͍̰̜̲͑ä̵̡̢̡̙͖̺̤̲̣̗̫̘͙́̎̏̎͆͜͜ẅ̶̡̘̩̬̬͖̜͙͔̠̳̙́̇͊͐̆̍a̵̙̼̗̙͕͚͚͓̯̻̬͋̿͒̀̆̂̅́́̒͝͝ͅͅȉ̸̟͓̍̍̒̐̅͆͛̆̏t̴̨̨̡̮̯̬̠̖̫̫̤͙̟͐́͆̇̉͛̃̀͊͋̄̑̀ͅs̸̢͖̭̠̬̗̊̿̿͆̽̓̽̑̅̎̈̇͘͝ ̸̧̛̗̱̦̺͍͉̩̭̼͜h̷͖̹̭̲̯͖͚̞̖̻̪̜̆͗̂̿̐̿̔ͅẽ̴̢̡̗͉̠̙̺̘̪͍͇͓͍͗̊̓̐̓ͅr̸̛̥̬̜͌͂͐͑̍̒͐̋͜ ̶̟͔̂͋̔͛̏̄͋̒͝c̴̢̢̗͚̫̬̦͔̳̩̙͕̱̐̐͆̾ͅr̵̥̠̮͎̦͂̂̕u̴͔͕̝̺̦̘͔̲͙̜̭͓̦̍̔͑̄͋̿̈̃̔͆̿̕e̸̢̳̹̹̼̰͕̼͛̋̓̃̈́͜͝l̶̢̘͇̲̭̼̰̲̖̖̞̮̖̝̽͋͌̎ ̷̜̦̣͙̰͖͓̹̂̆͋́͒̆̽͠d̸̨̗̙͎̝͑̒͑͋̿̂̐ͅe̶̩͂̈́̈́̓͌͌͛̽͛̍̕a̵͕̗̻̟̟̳̓̓͗͂̅̈̊̿͒̄͐̚͠t̴͓̭͓̮̰̮͊̌͌͐̈́̓͆͊́̋h̴̡̛͉̗̺̫͈͚̉̿̇̅̽̐͑́̐̂̐͝.̸̛̰̦̃̂̂́̃͋̐̄̒͘ ̴̡͑́͊̄W̵̧̨͉͚̰̘͋̓̈́̅̋͐̈́̾̉́̀̀̕̚͠h̴̔́̆̎͆̄̀̈́̚͜͝ͅi̶̡̲͙͌̈͊͗̓̈̆̿l̷̨̡̩̩͖͔̝̦̩̼͚͕̝̠͌̈́̈́̈̀̇̾̃̀̑̆̉̈́̚̚é̷̡̯̟̹͍̦̠̼͎͐̅̂̂̂̇̍͂̔͒͒̕͜͜͝͝ ̸̨̪̺͖̲̲̤͎̩͙͈̦̭͂̉̆̈́͆͆͐͒̈́͘͝ͅr̶̨̬̠͗͝ǫ̵̛̻͇̘͙̠͇̻͉̗̘͕͙̽͗̀̍̈́̆ͅc̸̨̛̛͈̬̻͒̔̀̎̿̎̀͌͘̚̕͠k̸̘̯̤̥̹̍̌̃̈ś̷̢͙͈̭̝̦̮́͆̾̎́̈́̋̄̓̚͜͠ ̴̡̺͓̬̭̩̹̤̩̩̱͓̘͚̿̇͌̿͆̊͗͛á̸̧͙̰͍̩͎̰̠̪̯̜̠̬͐͘ṛ̵̯̏͆͗̈́̆̚͝͝ę̷̢̺̖̼̘̝́́̂̌̑́̏̚͘ ̸̢̛̬̜̙̔̎͑̓͛̀̈́̓̋͌͘͘b̶̨͈̞͓̳͔̖̰͓̟̽ȩ̵̛̛̣͕̥̪̭̮̺̱̫̘͈̗̹͙͋̒͛̈́̉́͛̾͂̃̀͂͝į̵̬̥̥̠̱͓̦̃̐͋͊̽̅͋̈̈̔̀͝ͅn̷̺͉̗̹̖̼̪͖͍̮̬̭̯̤̄̈̎̆̉̏̈̚̕̕g̶̨̮̖͇̲̱̭̗̭͗̇́̔̏̉̈́̐͂̿̃̌́ ̷̬̠̯̍̾͛̎͗̎͘̚͝͠ẗ̷̲̼̻͍̣̝͎̌̇̋͊̕ẖ̵̩̬̜̾̀͌̉̑̈́̿͒̀͝ŗ̶̠̈̎̓̔̽͛̕̕ơ̵̖̹͉͇̟̐͗̓̄̀̃̈́̿̌͑̏̅̈́̒w̸̡̡͚͉̜̠͉̹̿͆̍͂͂̔͊̍́̓̀́̾̚n̸̲̹̹͉̉̈́̓̈́͌̉͛̔͊͑͘ ̸̨̡̛̮̱͎̈̾̒̉͆̎̂̓͒͑̀͘̕͠ą̸̪͙̪̐́͊̒̇̇́̑̈̎̂̈́͘͠ͅţ̵̨̢̝͕͓̝͕̼̪̼̙̭̣̻̌̓̆̆̐͋̉͑́̈́͝ ̶̨̨̡͚̭͕̫̲̭̋͝ḫ̶̨̡̢̛̤͍̭̦̤̫̗̯̝̣͂̍́̇̈́́̕̕e̶͎̿̽̿̋̇̾̈́̄͋̑̀͋͆͘̕ȓ̵̨̛̜̞̮̦̺͇͈̙̖͓͙̘̏̌̌͂̆̈́̏̌͒͠͝,̶̞̺̹̦͔̱̒͊ͅ ̸̧̗̰̘̦̫̦̖͕̳̼̬̒͋͌̊̄͆̾̇͗͛͒̏̿̃͝ͅA̸̮̟̹̝͈̦̳̼̬͍̺͂͆̑̅̑̂̍͘͜ͅȳ̷̙̪̰̏̉̊̈́͒̿̊͐͆̊̚a̶̦͙̦͕̞̬̱͌́̈́̈́͋̅̋͑̎̇ṉ̸̼̰͗̔͗̎͆͗̚ǫ̸̡͎̠̝̳̣͓̗͇̮̮̦͔̽̎̎̅̾́͛̕̕ ̶̨̰̫̫͛̄̒̀̍̒̐̒͝g̴͈̥̲̬̱̳͇̳͆̈́̐̈́ę̴̟̀̇̈̈͛̋̍̐͗͠t̸̢̗̘͙͕̮̖̻͕͈̻̹̖̺̓̌̈́͛͑͂͛̀̚͜͝͝͝͝͠ş̸̼̺͗̓́͌̇́̾ ̵̰͔͙̇̿̉̾͒̀̅̔̎̒̒͛͑͝s̷̡̖̮̹͚̩̤͖͇̳̞̀͗̂͌̉̈̀͋͗̎̕͜l̵̝͕̅̌͒͋́̈̐͌̄̊͠͝ͅọ̴̡̲͍̰̎͐̈́̾́̒͆̽̌̅̓̑̃͝w̴͔͚͔̲̱̱̒ͅl̴̢̨̛̫͎̥͙͍̜̥̩̗̻͇͛͂̈́͂̔͛͑͒́͗̚̚͝y̴̛̰͈̖̯̮̬̦̪̻̾̽́̓̐̑͒̕ ̶̱̺͈͓̼̜͉̿͘t̸̜͈͍͔̦͙̥͋ỏ̵̢̱̃̏̀̄̚r̶̨̖̩̟͇̼̟̱̱̦̩̐͛́̄̐͂̏́͛̽͌͊͝n̶̛̰͂̐̏̅̐̃̃͊̽̍ ̵̛̳̝̃̑̔̈́̓́ţ̸̛̭̼͎̯̟͖̩͋́̇̍̋̽ͅȏ̸͚̋͑̌̐̽̉͊̓̓͝ ̴̨̛̙̪̻̩̺͚̼̳͗͊̊̒̿̂̽͝͝d̶̛̜͌̐̓̈́̌̓̊͂̃̅̔͠͝ế̸̛͕̗̰̟̲̹͚͎̟͙̜̉͒͌̌̆͘̚ả̷̢̢̭̣̘͎͉̩̖̼̟̓̽͌̈̿̌̅͆̚͜͝͝ţ̸͔̲͕̝̪̽̉͝h̵̢̻̙̺̦͔͇̝̉́͋̈͜ͅ,̴̢̘̜̤̻̥̤̩̺̪͇͕͕̫͖́̓̽̐͋͐̒̀́̀̚̕͠ ̸̹̗̹̇̂̅̈̆̑̈́̎́̏̐̌̕͝͠f̶̨̢͕̬̟̮͔̣͕͗̈̈̉̒̽̐̿̄͑́̐ͅȩ̶̧̗̘̗̩̜͕̦̬̣̖̈́̈́̑̍ě̸̺̋́́̕̚͜͝͠l̵̛̝̫̪̩̖̜̪̖̺̣̂̆̅̔͋̾̀̿̀̈̕i̵̢̹̥̖̫͈̫̦̖͉͈̓̿͊̑̈́͛͋͑̓́n̷̮̼̖̤̜̺̦̗͚̼̆̌g̷̢̣̦̰͎͍̠̜̱͕̫̗̿͜͠ ̸̢̡̧̲̘͖̟͕̣̟̤̬̩̲͐͑͊̒͒͑̈́̊̂͝ͅt̶͓̻̗̮̪̜̳͙̣̝̦͉̣́́̅̾̊̽́͑̐̃̓̆͆̓͠h̷̩͕͎̯͖̻̪̪̱̬̓͂̈̊̓͆̇̔͐̒̂̒̕̕͜͝e̴̘̘͓̺̦̭̰͚̣̮̮̎͝ͅ ̵̨͙̗͚̭̤̰͚̯̙̹̈́̂̿p̵͙̺̹̭͉͕̐ä̶̢̟̱̲̣̯́ḯ̴̼͓̬̒̓̓̄͌̽́́̐͗n̶̛̘͕̤̠̠̫̦̦̖̓̌̔̕͘̚ͅ ̸͍̞̗̝̟̞̹̞̞̂̽͜ơ̵̡̧̱͚̩͉̝͎̞͂̅͌̒̕f̷̢͎̟͎̰̭̪̜̒͐́́́̈́̃͂͗̎͜ͅ ̸͓͙̤͔̖̙̋͗̿̎̈́̋̏̽̀ē̴̬͕̪͕̘̼̠̥̬͚̗͖̫̄̑́͂̅̀͊͊̒͛̚̕v̶̙̮͕͍͎̝̉̋ȅ̴̛̳͈̥͕͇͇̊̐̀͛̊͋͐̊̀͂̆̕r̸̢̢̫̥͚̫͚͕̩͉̯̦̍̅͌̃͊y̷̡̢̝̰̖̳̩͖̺̰͖̔̊̋̉̏͛̋̐̂̄̕̕͘ ̷̨̨̞͓̤̼̪͍͓͙͓̏̊̏̒̈́̔̄̔͂̈͋͜͜m̴̻̣̆ù̵̺͈̳̍ṡ̸̭͈̼̖͇̳̰̅̉͊͗̇̉͋̿̆͘͘c̴̛̛̠̹̖̟͕͑͑l̸͕̝̪̩̔͜e̶̛̘̍͋̃̄́̈́͌͌̓͒ ̴̧̧̨̦̜̣̯̥̻̠̺̪̰̥͘͝b̷̗̜̪͍̖̓̃͗̄͛̊͆̈́ȩ̷̬̮̜̈́i̷̪̝͓̻̯̠͔̰͉̳̮͖̠͠n̴̪̩̭͖̥̣̭̾̈́̐̀͐̇͛̎̓͑̕͝g̸̯̭̜̯̫̗̬̝̣͛̈́̈́̋̒̾͜͜͠ ̴̨̼̟̮͇͔͔̞͉̥̺͚̑̈́͒̉̐͜͠d̸̻̬̰̰̙̬͈͋̒͛̈́͐͒̈́̂͊̎͘͝è̵̡̛̯̠̤̭͍̩͖͛́̈́̂́̕͠͠s̶̠͂́͒̂͘t̴̨͙̠̙̖̭͚̘̹̲͈͈̀͒̎̑̈́̀͊r̷̢̡̠͉̟̼̹̘̣̳͖͔̅͒̍̓͂̕͘̚͜o̵̝̟̜̣̤̞͘ỹ̴̡̧̛̛̩̠̗̬͈̖̻̜͎̔̓̍̂̌̌̅̆͆͛̀̚ḙ̴̛̤͖̓̈́̾̏͝d̷̨̜̼̲͕̰̤̦͔̲̻̼̋̉̾̋̉̐̔͛̈́͐̕ͅ.̷̟̟͎̥̝̼̽̅̐͒͌͝ ̷͇̲̞͖͗̑͘͝A̵̬̅̈́̀̍̆̅̎̍͒̌͊͝f̶͖̪͉̹̰̭̾̅͂̌͝t̸̡̢̹̲̞̱̪̳̗̖͓̼̮͙̀̾̔̀̽̚̚͝ͅę̷̨̢̛̤͉̟̼͚̺̫̗͓̣̩̩̇̒̃̈́̃̃̉͂r̸̛̺̖̫͍̪̞̂͠ ̸̨̛͙͍̺̬̩͙͓̦̈̿͊̊̎̂͝t̵͔̯̠̳͍̻̣͍̩͌̐̀͗̾̈́̚ͅh̷̨̖̻̺̀̀̊̽̓̊̈́̂̎̽̌̎͑̿è̶̝̼͍͙̤̐̋́̑͗̍́̿̒̂̉̎͂͝ ̶̨̡͓̭̼͔̮͓̲̠͎̝̼̖̌̀̐͊͛́̎̐͗̋̕̚͜͝s̸̡̛͓̬̜͋̌̐̉̌͋͒̚͘͝ẹ̶̗͕͗́c̶̤̟͕̤̄̃͒͐̋͑̈́͂͋͐̾͒̇̑͠ͅo̴͖̗̯̘̜̦̮͍͍̫̠͖̹̒̉͛̎͌̑͛̂͊̏̄͑̚̚͝n̵͓̗̗͉͚̥͚̥̰͠͝d̸͉͙̤́̊̅̕͘s̸͈͕̈̀̍̃ ̴̛̹̌̏́̈́́͒́́͋͆͂̚͝͝t̸̠͉̺̠͓͕̜͖͌̄͌̋͐̕͝h̶̜͍̩̭̪̺̝̺̱̯̉̃̒͂̿͠ą̵̜̱̥̩̣̞̼͙̯̍̏́̈̆͒̊͐̕̕͝ͅť̷̘̎̈̍̈̀̔͘͝ ̴̧̰̥̳͇̭͇̂̀̽͛̅͛̓f̴̜͂́͒͑̔͐̐́̚ȇ̵̊͌̄̓̇͆́̓̄̈́̐͜͝ẹ̴̽̂̍̉̂̀͌̉̊͑͛̃̽̈́̕l̴̡̯̦̣̐̿̄ ̷͍͈̝̯̻̬͙̿́̽̂̐̃͘ͅl̷̙̼̣̩̬̇̿̎i̶̧̧̼̠͔̲͌̈̍̾͐̏̓́̅̕ͅk̵̤̫̙̫̠̫̗̾͛̓̀͂̔̆̕ȩ̴̡̙̼͔̭̟̣̬͒̂̾͒͑̈́̆͌͊̎͠ ̷̹͖͍́̾̔́̂̌͊͐͘ã̴̛͇̞̬̬̍̈͑̋̇g̸̥̘̱̘͓͍̣͉̝̜͉̪̯̍͐e̶͎̺̮͈͈͈̣̟̤̻̰̐̈́̔̓̈́̌͋̆̆̚̚̚͜͝s̷̪͔̉,̸̨̼͖̤̰̬̳̘̹͇̖̠̭̱̪͂̓͌̃̃͋̓̏̈́̽̾ ̶̙̪̱̠̼̞͍̟̀̈́̔̎̇̔̌̆̀͝A̴̰̘̗͛̀̆́̓̋̈̃̕͠y̸̢̩̙͇̟̘̗̝̝̘̥̥̰̥̗͗̄̔̾̈͆̑̀̌̑̑̈́͘͝a̸͇̺͖̒́̋n̷̩̺̤̅͊͋̆͜͠ͅͅǒ̸̡̡̢͇̣͚͔͙̫̠̮̋̓͋͒̚ͅ ̵̪̺͍͕̭̇f̶̻̖̺͗̃̑̓̊̓́̅̾͒͘̕̚̚͝a̸̛̜̓̆̈́̀̓̒̃̍̔͊̚l̶̥̈́͂̌͠ḷ̷̬͔̐̓̽͋̓̑̈́̈̌͊̏͘͘͝ṣ̷̨͈̘̰̙͚̪̺̭͋͛̾͑̎́̉̍̀͝ͅͅ ̷̡̦͖͍̰̭͔͍͈͔̲͍̙̠̐̇͜͝a̷̢̟̋̀͜p̵̗̗̺̖̲̓̚ͅâ̷̧̼͎̮̟̮̗͖͉̺̯̝͚̓́͑͌̀̈̄̓͜ͅr̵̢̡̤̼̫͕͙͚̂̈́̄͒̄̊̈̿͗̈́̀̚͠͝t̵̛̛͉̳̫̺̗̞̻̜͇̀̔͒̇̇̈́̑̕ ̴̢̨̛͚͇̟̳̻̠̣͎̏͘ą̷͓̭̹̲̮̖̜̟̪̙̜̰̮̮͝n̶̛̹̯͇̥͎̭̥̰͉̗͂͋͐́̽́͒̈̚͜͜͠͠͝͠ḏ̶̘̆̆̎͒̎͂̋̒͋̈́̓̅ͅ ̴̨̢̦̦̦̺̦̲̼̠̒͒͑̏̑̀̎̈́͗̓͘ͅḁ̷̧̢̧̫̤͖̦̺͕͎͔͕̮͖̎͋̿͠l̷̨̄͜ļ̷̬̮̉͗̊̑̑̓́͝͝ ̷̢̢̹̩̯͚̹̼͎̣̾o̶̹̙̼̖̺̜̝̣͍͋̀͑̓́̿̅͆̊̄f̷̭̺̪̝͈͍̘̭͇̏͋͋̄̏͆̉̈̈͊̈́͘̚͘͝ ̶̭̭̩̝͙̖̮̃ͅh̴̲̹̦̾̇̄̂͋ę̸̛̞̟̪̩̯̻̼̖̞̬̹̺͉͐̿̈́̈͒̎̆̕͝͠r̵̮̺̊̅̃͑͘̚ ̷̱̻̒̇̿̾̊͌͒̉͜ḻ̶̬̳͆͐i̶̛̻͖͓̤͓͍̰̱̮͇̓̅̎̀m̵̬̼̮͑͐̉͊͌͌̈́̌̿̓̀̆̃̔b̷̢̧̢̪͓̜͇̤͂̅̿̐̐̈́̓͐̃̏́̈́͝͝ͅŝ̸̢̖͓̱̞̳̭̼̎͛͂̉̐̓͜ ̷̨̡̨̳̮̲͍͓͉͕͊̅͘͠ͅf̷̖̒̐a̶͍̝̹̖̜͙̗̪̹̫̹͎͋̋͊͗̓̄͒͠ͅl̴̠̤̲̜̬̦̠͛́̔̐̉̃͗͒̓͑̋͆ḽ̶̳͚͓̄͋͑̌̍͛̿̋͌̂͂̕̕ ̴̨̠̰͉̼́͒̑á̶̛̛̝̤̽̈́̇̈́͑̽ṕ̷̭̫͈͑̒̈͌̈́̓̔̀͌̉à̴̡̨̙̖̭̠͓̯̪͐̅͘r̴̻͖̺̭̖̎̂͗̈́͛̈́͌́͆͊́̈́͒̏t̸̡͇̀̑̓̐̓̋̓ ̵̢̯̱̥͎̠̠̗̟̒̀̒͘͝͝s̸̖͉̹̹̲͛̽̈́̆́̈͋͗͛͋̅̕̕̕͝e̵̤̻̯̝̗͑̾̾̂̔̂̀͘͝͝p̸̺̞̹̗͖̰̠̙̝̆͆̎͐͠ȧ̸̡̨̛̱̱̹̲̺̦̦̣̯͐̈̓͆͛̓̿͗ͅͅr̴̢̳͉͓͍̒à̶̢̡̢͔̭̫̤͕̟͎͉̖̂̾͜t̴̛̜̳̗̜̬̿̒̂̽̑̕͘͝ḙ̸̢̧͚͚͉̖̗͈̟̠̭̫̯̃͛͛̓̈́̀̈́̏ͅd̴̛̰̮̀̔̉̄͠ ̸͎̣͉͔̹̳̼͌̿͆͂̆̆̄̐́͛́̇̃̃͝o̶̗̯̺̩̤̖̽̂͊͌̕͘͝n̶̢̛̛̦͉̮̰̙̣̻̦͇̮̉̔̽̐͐̃͆̔̃̆̚͝͠t̴̨͚̘͔͈̭̺͎̱̼̪̔͂͂̃̎̿̏̓͝ͅͅơ̵̢̧̦̘̻̝̑͆͌̿͌͒́̓́̿͘ ̸̬͖̺̘̜͙͖͉͉͉̖̱̄̿̃͛͌́́̐̀̚͜͜t̵̢̛̺̹̦͖̻̗̙͛̈̒̌͒̇̉̇̔̇̂̋̊̕ḣ̴̻̫̺̼̖̜̱̹̗̱͈̥̓̂e̴̖̪͇̞̮͉̱͕̼̻͂̇̈́̎̍̕͜͠ͅͅ ̸̜̺͍̱̀̀̅͗s̸̛̜͔̜̘͍̼̼͋͋͊̎̄͛̑̍͊̊̅͘ṭ̶̯͍̗̼̥̖̩̩͉̹̜̀̈́ä̸̢̰͕̦̩͈̺̞͔̘́̕͘͜ͅǵ̸̡͔͔͈̮̏̍̓ę̶̹̥͉̯͍͔̜͎̮̤͎̩̗͂̌͑̂́̌́͂̈́̎̊̉̎.̴̢͔̼̤̝̫̈́͑̔̇̄̐͋͛̌̀̚

* * *

When I come to, I realize that Suzunami is right by me with one girl I definitely do not recognize and yet another girl that is way too familiar. I try to focus on the now, since this is no time to think about Ayano and Kazuhiko, and whoever the other two are (they are most likely somebody trying to mess with me or my mind processing all of this trauma). Getting to know Suzunami more later though would maybe give me some such needed answers, but the man's behavior around them hints that he was telling the truth that they have only been acquainted for a short time. Though I still find it odd that Suzunami remained silent during the whole ordeal so perhaps xe is hiding something. Xe could prove to be of some use, and so can Ichiko, but I highly doubt Yuu and Yuki will be any help at the current moment. I could try to hire Yuu and Yuki into my whole music company, but that may prove difficult since Yuki shows clear loyalty to Sakura Circus and Yuu will probably only go where she does. Sakura Circus is nothing but bad news so perhaps it is best to only interact with the two of them when needed, especially since they might now have hostile relationships with me.

Feeling around my neck, I feel the remnants of an injection. That must be whatever that man used to create that weird hallucination of that woman like Ayano. Though that only brings more questions that I should not be asking at the moment, such as how it created no pain and what exactly was injected inside of me. Having a foreign substance in my body should be a terrifying thought but those who knew Kotori got used to such horrible feelings or quickly went insane.

"Hello! How can you be avoiding me? You're clearly awake!" A woman with pink hair shouts. That is the moment I realize that this conversation is going to be as fun as all of the other ones in the gym. Perhaps, if I close my eyes again and hope that for one day I have permission to act like a child, then they will start leaving me alone. But a child does not know the cruelties of the world, so not even in my youth was I able to enter a world of pure imagination without having to pay the severe consequences.

"Yes, there's a hundred percent chance that Shiro is awake...announcing percentages like that make me sound like a robot which I'm five point seven percent sure that I'm one!" I want to question why they know my name but it's most likely that Suzunami just told the two of them. Maybe there even is a board somewhere in this weirdly formatted ship that has all of our names or some other personal information.

"...Why are you so sure that you're a robot?" With all the advancements the Committee has made, I am sure that they have not got that technology yet, or everything would be automated inside their headquarters. Robots are more reliable than humans since the Committee has to be annoyed by now with the number of people that betray them. With robots, there is only fear for hackers and faulty programming, which would not happen if they keep Ayano Nishiki and Natsumi loyal to them and alive.

"Why was the robot bankrupt..." Suzunami waits for anybody to respond but it seems like the two girls are smart enough to not fall for one of xyr traps. "He had used all of her cache."

"Oh wait, I said too wrong!" Robot girl interrupts without caring too much about Suzunami who now looks dejected. "English is so hard! Five point seven percent sure that I'm _not_ one!" This girl really needs to pay more attention to her English classes. Maybe she is from a family that speaks Japanese or another language (I have heard people speak languages that I think are Russian and Spanish), or she needs to focus more on her studies. Of course, the Committee would become annoyed by that behavior, which makes her usefulness go down, but maybe somebody can tell her how to make herself more of an asset. In fact, everybody here needs to make themselves more useful before the Committee throws them to the side like trash because, in their eyes, that is all they are at the moment. Very sparkly trash that can be replaced by one of the children in one of those twisted programs with enough research and planning.

Examining my surroundings more while I am sure the pink-haired one is talking more, I immediately realize that I am in a clinic of some sort. The walls are a lot like the ones from the hallway I came to in, overbearing white. There are only two cots in the room that are both colored light blue. The cot I am on is strangely comfortable, definitely with this white pillow. It makes me think of sleeping in the skies, sleeping on top of the clouds without a care in the world since nobody else can find you in the Heavens. One blue desk is in the room filled with all sorts of medical supplies and papers. Everything is thrown around so haphazardly on the desk that it can be considered a severe safety hazard. What stands out to me as the most dangerous is the singular syringe dripping an unknown clear substance on the floor.

"You're ignoring me again!" The pink-haired woman then punched the wall behind me, and I can already tell she is a lot stronger than Yuu with the dent she leaves behind. "Ahem! You have to be graced with my introduction then! Introducing the greatest mind in the world...the stunning, the awesome, the amazing TK the Great!"

"But what is your full name?"

"You don't just ask a woman her full name!" Looking at her further, I recognize the woman from Committee propaganda. The biggest thorn in their side looks so much different when she is not made to look purposefully evil. Even though her skills are well known to be extraordinary, even compared to a lot of Ultimates, it is too risky teaming up with her since I am surprised she has not been executed.

"You are Tahlia Catherine King, the Honorary Ultimate Inventor, correct?"

* * *

**Tahlia Catherine King**

**Honorary Ultimate Inventor**

* * *

"Excuse me, but I'm an Ultimate thank you very much!" Tahlia flips her long unkempt hair. She should keep better care of her hair since she does have dashing looks otherwise. When she is done throwing a fit like a child, Tahlia begins twirling around her thin braid that helps controls her bangs.

* * *

**TK**

**Ultimate Inventor**

* * *

Tahlia's almond-shaped eyes almost exactly match the shade of pink that her hair is. Her athletic body is shaped like an hourglass, complimenting her pair of high-waisted jeans very well. She has fair skin that reminds me of the snow on the mountains that I have only ever seen from photos of the distant past. The shirt she has on is a white crop top underneath an over-the-top dark purple long leather coat. By far the most interesting item Tahlia wears is her gauntlet. Her left hand has a black glove with circuits going through it with her fingertips being capped by metal. Meanwhile, her right hand is the one with the gauntlet, possibly one of her own making. The gauntlet itself is black and something I would very much not like to be punched with so it is best to play it safe with Tahlia and do nothing that will get on her nerves. To top off her look, Tahlia has a pair of black square-shaped glasses. Everything about this outfit is impractical, but I highly doubt Tahlia is the type of person to care about such viewpoints.

"Tahlia Catherine King? That's a criminal!" The only one that I do not know jumps away from Tahlia. Tahlia loudly groans while Suzunami is just watching once again. She has a point, with this many people related to the Committee Tahlia is in severe danger. We might be in space but there is still a great chance that we are being watched by the Committee. There is a chance that all of us are in this situation because of Tahlia. The Committee would not regret throwing away resources to make sure one of their biggest threats will be eliminated. Though sending people in space in highly questionable spaceships just to have people possibly kill each other is not the Committee's style.

"No, I'm not! The Committee is just jealous of my beauty and brains!"

"But you're not allowed in Japan," Mizore points out. Tahlia loudly gasps.

"Tahlia is out of this world," Suzunami points out, finally becoming a part of this conversation truly. But xe has a point since we basically do not have any rules if we have nobody watching over us. I highly doubt that will remain for long, since usually Monokuma comes in and gives us rules, yet right now it's up in the air whether or not the rules truly count.

Suzunami xeself has an interesting outfit as well since many in this spaceship probably spend way too much time in the morning working on just their appearances. I may be in formal wear but in reality, it only takes about ten minutes at maximum to get dressed (maybe my hair never experiencing the problems so many wastes their time complaining about helps matters). Xe has a small body that is under five feet tall and xe has tanned skin with freckles all over xyr body. Xyr black hair is fluffy and thick, held together sloppily in a low, loose bun with some bobby pins seeming to stick out. Xe has wide dark brown eyes that are darker than xyr hair that I cannot remember whether or not xe has blinked. Xe wears a bulky oversized brown jacket that has grey faux fur lining the hood, sleeves, and bottom. Whenever xe moves, there is a lot of noise that sounds oddly like bells ringing though I know for certain that it is not. The pants xe wears are black slacks with matching black slip-ons, with xe wearing white tights that are exposed thanks to xyr pants being too short for xem.

"Thanks, Suzu, you truly are the best! Well besides me and my dad and my friends!"

"But why were you in Japan?" Mizore asks again. Tahlia only shrugs.

"I don't know. But I gotta enjoy it while I can!" Tahlia then grabs onto Suzunami. "You know what, you seem like fun unlike these sticks in the mud! C'mon, we gotta enjoy our lives without having people spoil the fun!" Quickly, Tahlia and Suzunami leave, leaving me with the girl that I do not know the name of.

"They need to learn how to follow the rules. It's the mathematical way to survive." She starts counting her fingers as she clicks her tongue. "There's a seventy point sixty-two percent chance that they will be executed by the Committee if they continue that behavior." I wonder how her language becomes so formal so quickly, but everybody here, including myself, seems to have more quirks than the average human. But that would be kidding myself since most people nowadays have something to make them unique to the past that causes them to blend in with the future. Maybe it is a way to deal with trauma, or we are being trained to become more like characters instead of people in some sort of horrid plot.

"I agree with that, rebelling against the government with a plan will only get you killed-"

"Uh, I forgot you were here!" She does a little scream but then returns to her regular smile. "That's so awkward. That only happens...you know what, I should stop with these calculations! People don't only speak of math and ducks sadly. But ducks are good and everybody should praise them!"

"...What is your name?" I ask her. I do not need to find myself in yet another conversation that will only give me a migraine.

"I can't believe I forgot! Mizore Kurushima! Ultimate Mathematician!" This feeling of so-called deja vu is starting to get old since I will remember meeting people like this before. Maybe I met them when I was young, or when all of that was going down. But I believe they would not be acting like such idiotic children if they have been exposed to the true world. When somebody breaks the cage of the Committee, they breathe the beautiful scent of violets for a couple of seconds before the unbearing flames make them beg to go back to the gates of Hell to escape the emptiness of purgatory.

* * *

**Mizore Kurushima**

**Ultimate Mathematician**

* * *

Mizore has bright blue hair that is long and held together in low pigtails that have the symbol of a plus and minus sign on the ties themselves. She has lavender eyes that are downturn washing out with her pale skin. Although she acts childish, Mizore is easily taller than me and has a shockingly mature face. The light orange blouse Mizore has on is too small for her and does not look comfortable. A dark blue pinafore stands out from the rest of Mizore's outfit, being decorated with more math symbols including multiplication and division signs. She has black thigh-high stockings with red high-top converse. Overall, Mizore is quite cute, but she needs to grow up a little more to be revealed to the true horror of everything.

"Now there's about an eleven point eighty-three percent chance of something happening relating to the lights..." I groan when the lights go out once again. If that man and woman from before come again, I will just ignore them. Many people should be ignored since a lot of them now have the bad habit of shouting on top of their lungs and somehow not losing their voice. Though I get more of those bad feelings that these will not be the last ones to be so over-the-top. Maybe they will calm down when they realize how quickly such immature behavior will get them killed. "I guess it is a...this is boring you, isn't it? Yeah...large chance that it's relating to Fubuki. It's her room and all."

"Fubuki?"

"Silence!" The lights flicker on again to reveal an imposing figure with a gas mask. Instead of being in a medical bay, we are in a prison of some sort, making the cot that I am on stick out like a sore thumb. "Mizore, get out of here! You already got the presentation!" Fubuki, I assume, takes Mizore and pushes her out of the room. And now I regret being alone with yet another one of these tiring characters.

"...What is your name?"

"Shush! I'm...Got to do this again. Get off that!" Fubuki pushes me off of the cot, which is quite rude especially considering how comfortable it is. It is sad to say I prefer it over my own bed, but some of the instruments needed fixing which ended up with me having to get the inexpensive mattress. She stomps her way over to the entrance and again the lights go off.

The lights shine on again but instead of Fubuki being alone, I see a man leaning on her with a mischievous grin on his face. He starts trying to take Fubuki's mask off, causing her to run away with him following her with a skip in his step.

"Stop it! You're supposed to help me!" she complains as she begins to wave her arms around because of the man becoming way too close. That, of course, only wastes energy as he starts leaning on her again.

"C'mon, sis, you're only gonna scare people with that attitude. You don't need to..." The man coughs and then huffs out his chest. "This is a world of little understanding and only I can glide you through it. Blah blah nonsense speech blah blah-"

"Jun! This is serious!" She pouts. Jun sighs as he walks over to the light switch. Not having access to the door, I have no choice but to remain there, becoming once again a bystander to an awkward conversation. Not wanting to waste all of my energy, I decided to sit down on the floor and find the cold stone of the cell is also oddly comforting. The lights once again go off and I hear the sound of strange crashing that I do not want to know about.

"This is a world of little understanding..." The lights go on with Jun in the corner with smoke machines still visible as he triggers them. Fubuki does not realize that Jun has her mask in his hands, revealing her face to the entire world. To the surprise of nobody, she is a perfectly average girl. "Only I can glide you through...Goddammit, Jun!"

"What can I say? I'll do anything to not hear that speech for the billionth time." Jun gets up from his spot and begins to head toward me. He smiles at me as he reaches right in front of me. Interrupting what he was planning to do, Fubuki runs behind him and grabs onto his jacket and begins to hide behind him. "Don't mind her. She gets this way but I swear she's actually the older one. And, yes, we're blood-related even though we look nothing like each other. I'm tired of people asking us about that but...let's get to the fun stuff, shall we? Jun Fumimoto, Ultimate Stage Manager, and Fubuki Kajiura, Ultimate Alternate Reality Game Designer."

* * *

**Jun Fumimoto**

**Ultimate Stage Manager**

* * *

**Fubuki Kajiura**

**Ultimate Alternate Reality Game Designer**

* * *

"Don't ask about the last names either," Jun sighs. "It's so annoying having to tell the same shit over and over again. But I should stop angsting because that's not a good first impression. But why do I get a feeling that I met you somewhere before?" It might not be normal for most people, yet I do not share the same last name of a lot of my siblings or a similar appearance. Einosuke told me that I am the only one that resembles my biological mother, which is the reason he gave on why I got the so-called special treatment.

"...Because we have...he's Shiro..."

"Oh, you're Shiro Amari!" Jun grabs onto me and forces me off of the floor. He then hugs me which is extremely uncomfortable but not as much as it should be. "Thought you looked a little familiar when Tahlia dragged your ass from the gym. She didn't want to at first but then I did a little pushing."

"How do you know who I am?"

"You said too much again, Junnnnnnn..." Whenever she speaks, Fubuki peaks a little of her head out but quickly goes back to her hiding spot.

"Hey, Shiro, can you hold onto this? I gotta make sure that Fubuki actually meets the others and doesn't utterly fail at trying to scare them." Jun hands me Fubuki's mask and I do not know what else to do so I accept it.

Jun himself is extremely handsome but right now is not the time to be thinking such thoughts. He has extremely wavy pastel pink hair that goes down to his shoulders in a mullet that should not look as good as it does. His eyes are purple that matches the faux fur lining of his black coat that is strangely much like Suzunami (they must shop at the same store), but this time his coat is opened to reveal his dark blue shirt underneath. His jeans are dark purple that nicely complements his navy blue tennis shoes.

Fubuki, on the other hand, has her eyes currently closed which makes it impossible to tell much about them. She has dark red hair that is long and has a black headband to help control it. Her shirt is a black crop top that exposes much of her stomach and leaves very little to the imagination. Though Fubuki is short, she is clearly legal age, with how mature her face is, which makes her little amount of clothing a little less uncomfortable. The only thing the supposed siblings have in common is their fair skin. Fubuki has blue short shorts and black fishnet stockings with dark blue ankle boots. Her gloves are fingerless and black which stands out from her light grey jacket. On the left side of her mouth, Fubuki has a mole.

"Also, I planned another surprise for you, Fubuki-"

"Junnnnnnnnnn whyyyyyyyyyyyy..." Fubuki whines as she begins to reach out for her mask. I consider giving it to her but Jun's smile is somehow carefree and threatening at the same time.

"I had a casting call and there are always those two actors-"

"Junnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn-"

"Excuse me, but this strange casting call was on me when I woke up and said to meet here. I swear hope I'm not being a bother," a man says as he opens the door with a smaller girl around Fubuki's height. Preparing myself for the worse, I try to force out the thoughts in my head that want to run out of the room because the flight instinct is the uncared for middle child of the fight and flight response.

"Me too, I don't know if we're doing this right," the girl adds-on while she fidgets. "We both don't know what's going on here or where everything is. A nice girl in the hallway just told us the directions."

"Sumeragi is a very good person to be doing this all with. Of course, I would use her first name, but it's the same as my last name and that is awkward." The man innocently laughs as 'Sumeragi' begins blushing uncontrollably.

"Welcome to the casting call! You don't need to do a slate or an audition piece since both of you are hired! Now make more friends while you improve your piece, Fubuki!" Jun pushes Fubuki towards the two at the entrance but she whines more as she digs her heels into the ground. She keeps turning back to me and trying to reach out to the mask, but Jun now stops her from doing so.

"I don't think that's how you should handle this..." the man responds, not knowing what to do in this situation. I do not blame him since I cannot stop myself from staring dumbly as well. 'Sumeragi' is still too busy blushing to truly understand what is happening.

"Don't worry, she's fine. Fubuki should remember how easy it is to talk with others in her mask on and use those skills without it." The two of them continue their routine as the two other people enter the room. They walk over to me.

"Hello! My name is Kitsu Natsuki. I'm the Ultimate Commercial Actor, it's nice to meet you!"

* * *

**Kitsu Natsuki**

**Ultimate Commercial Actor**

* * *

Kitsu looks casual but, even with his assumably laid-back clothes, I can tell he puts a lot of thought into his appearance especially because of his smooth skin that is most likely the result of makeup. He has brown roots and dyes his hair a bright blonde. His eyes are a nice shade of hazel that reminds me of the gardens of my youth, awaiting for their innocence to be corrupted with adults planting their seed to wilt all of the plants naturally there. His outfit is quite simple, with a bright green hoodie, blue jeans, and red converse shoes. The only thing of importance with Kitsu's outfit is the pendant sticking out from his hoodie. On the surface, the pendant is quite simple only being a silver chain with a small silver rose charm. Because Kitsu pulls up the sleeves of his hoodie to his elbows, his golden bracelet can be seen as well.

"Oh, introductions!" The girl's voice is deep for a girl's and then she blushes even more. "Well, I'm not that important. But I'm Natsuki Sumeragi. Ultimate Voice Actor. My voice is the only good thing about me, really..." I realize that she uses a higher tone that sounds more traditionally feminine but prefers her deeper voice. Though it is best to act like how society thinks you should act or else you will have to experience the unfair consequences of people lashing out at you for something that should not even matter.

* * *

**Natsuki Sumeragi**

**Ultimate Voice Actor**

* * *

"You're lovely the way you are, Sumeragi." Kitsu softly laughs as Natsuki somehow becomes even redder. However, when he is done with Natsuki, Kitsu turns to face me once again. "And what's your name? All of us should strive to be friends."

"You'll never take me alive, Jun!"

"Please ignore Fubuki-"

"Nice to meet you. My name is Shiro Amari and I have been given the title of Ultimate Composer." I have not been paying attention to most of the arguments the siblings are having so accepting Jun's request is not hard to do. Kitsu and Natsuki so far seem to be saner than a lot of their fellow classmates which is a breath of fresh air. Though they do not seem like they can be used for much of anything outside of their acting, they may prove themself to be some of the best chess pieces of this game called life.

"You know what, you three should be alone together to get along and do things for your opening." Without much of a warning, Jun takes Natsuki and Kitsu and drags them out of the room with Fubuki. I cannot help myself from being disappointed since I was actually having yet another normal conversation in this place, yet I know I should be able to talk again with Natsuki and Kitsu hopefully soon. Realizing I still have Fubuki's mask, I do not want to carry it around everywhere, so I place it on the floor.

"I have to continue exploring Wonderland." Leaving the room, I am once again met with the overwhelming white. It would be red for Alice but I am no such character. The Queen of Hearts is already dead, not being able to dye all of the plain walls a beautiful shade of haunting red. A red that reminds the viewer that they are alive but that simple fact will not remain forever as yet another Queen of Hearts has been made only to be crueler than the previous. Red stained walls are the only future we can ever hope to have.

* * *

**I hate intros. But I'm almost out of Intro Hell. So close. And once again, so sorry for the lack of updates but I think you guys already know that my life has been Hell for a very long time now. I'm simply way more busy than when I first started writing this series so I can't do frequent updates like I used to in the days of Forest of Despair.**

**Still getting used to some of these characters so just tell me if I get anything wrong. Intros are Hell for this exact reason and I'm a mad lass who just doesn't do the cheap 'just meet up and intros' thing even though that would be so much easier. Why the Hell did I put actual plot in my intros? Arrrrgggghhhhhh. I question many of my life decisions.**

**Sorry if any of these are rushed but I just want to get out of Intro Hell. And I'm almost there. So close but so far away. _Almost there. _**

**Req's Rec: Dead Zeppelin by Orlando Butler**

**QOTC: Do you have any writing advice for me? Please your constructive feedback always improves my stories so much. Like dear God my writing has improved so much thanks to you guys. :D**

**Reviews~**

**tobi-is-an-artist-too-I'm always proud of you, Tobi! :D**

**TheRoseShadow21-YES ITS BEEN LIKE YEARS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! So sorry for the mess known as LPoD. Thanks so much, I try so hard to get all of these characters so I can horribly break every single one of them. BREAK EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM! All of my protagonists need severe therapy.**

**AnonChan1-Heya! :D Nothingness is being completely devoid of thought so this would be despair. I'm a mad lass *looks over to BI* I've no sanity whatsoever so hope you guys are good at remembering names. Here's even more Ayano lore because AYANO TELL THE AUDIENCE ABOUT YOURSELF *Monokuma in the background screaming about it.* Anon is now dead because they called Keiji a furry. RIP. KOBI IS A GOOD BOI AND SHIRO CAN'T RESIST THE GOOD BOY! We need to make a revamped version of the sudoku meme just to confuse Yellow because they still need to catch up. Yes, there's a masseuse. ;) Shiro must explain everything even anime hair. Ichiko is over here being like, hey random girl we can create a club with Hotaru. Choumi has no sense of personal space along with Jun which makes Shiro want to scream. Shiro has been through a lot of shit because KOTORI STOP TRAUMATIZING THE PROTAGONISTS! Shiro doesn't know about Team Dangan Ronpa so telling him that would just make him very confused. I must make my references dammit. Kaimaru doesn't know Shiro's father supposedly but somebody else named Einosuke. Or maybe he does know Shiro's father and I'm lying out of my ass again. You can never trust me. Kazuhiko killed Kotori around a year before the events of Forest of Despair which is made more clear in the audiobook. _Symbolism_.**

**Shiro cheats the entire game by turning into Minato. I think Ayumu is a very nice name as well. Ayumu needs a hug because he is surrounded by all of these famous people and he's like 'I work graveyard shifts well.' Monokuma ruins everything. Kaimaru and Asuka are turning into yet another chaos duo. Shiro, become the dad you are meant to be and be the leader since you already have a billion death flags being one of my protagonists. Cramps are the worse and I hate them with a passion so here's a good luck like over four months later. I have actually been doing better but still my life decides to be ultra crazy. I ship Rei and Yasu so I don't blame you (HayatoxReixYasu OT3 too). Cinnamon rolls don't last long here except if their name is Yasu. Osamu's execution is just plummeting him with pumpkins and then making him into a pumpkin version of himself. It is two in the morning right now so I know your pain *my past therapist Mike could be heard wanting to die inside with my nonexistent sleep schedule*. Shiro, go see a therapist. HAHAHA IM EVIL ANON! Ryoichi is like yes kill people *stabs me again and look at that I died again.* Well, if they're in this series, they're in the Afterlife Theatre which is entirely in Yellow's hands.**

**Ziggymia123-Indeed, its a girl! Shiro is such a jerk and I love him for it. Shiro will not stop thinking about that because he's Shiro. Nobody can resist the cute, even Shiro.**

**TheUnkindledHunter-Hello! :D That's alright, I love all of your reviews~ Shiro will not stop with his poetry and holy shit this chapter is 14k help. Sachiko will not stop being cute and Osamu will do his best. I think like half of this cast can destroy the ship and Shiro is regretting all of his life decisions. He doesn't know why he has to be stuck in this Killing Game nonsense when he already graduated. Keiji is adorable and Choumi is keeping an eye out for all of you. Renkou, Asuka, and Kaimaru are a fun trio and goddammit I'm already shipping them, brain no stop it with the shipping of everything. Ayumu is mood. Thanks so much. Himura is taking his sweet time to get intro'd again. Thanks so much, sadly Himura still needs to move his butt and find Shiro again. HIMURA MOVE YOUR BUTT DAMMIT. Thanks so much~ Here it finally is and we're one step closer to finally being out of Intro Hell. One of these days I can finally change my Discord nickname. XD**


	5. Prologue 0-4

**Prologue 0-4: My Hand Reaches Out For You**

**(Child abuse trigger warning for the first scene...it's the prologue and I'm already giving out these warnings...you can already tell this story is going to be quite a ride)**

**(Beta Read by Lupus Overkill, Allen Ux Ultor, and YellowtheWriter)**

* * *

_The pool of red still continues to drip._

_As voices surround me calling out names long lost._

_There is so much pain but peace._

_Hands touch my body as the lights explode into dance._

_It is their cruel applause that I live for._

_That is simply the cold logic of the world that we live in._

_Us humans are their puppets on the stage,_

_Dancing for a cause we do not understand,_

_Dying as we fall for a cause that we despise with our hearts._

_But our hearts mean nothing to their wicked smiles._

* * *

_My mother was in her room, a quaint little one with everything made with gold that can break with one wrong move. She was on her rocking chair, swinging back and forth as she hummed a lullaby that I have long forgotten the name of. The woman was so focused on her work that she did not hear me entering the room with Einosuke behind me. Although I remember her smile, I cannot remember her face, the only image that remains is her long, black hair being messily held together in a low side ponytail._

_"...Mother?" Automatically stopping her knitting, the woman stared at me blankly. No life in her eyes. Looking back at the gaudy golden door, I looked up to see Einosuke's disappointed, dreaded glare. With a careful step, I went in the direction my mother was in. That was when she resumed her lullaby, continuing her creation of whatever creation she desired. However, after a couple more steps forward, I realized that she was blinking rapidly, causing me to smile and run into her lap, not really caring about whatever she was working on._

_"...Shiro?"_

_"Yes, it's me!" I beamed with excitement as my mother put down her current project. She would always like working on random things to pass the time since she no longer had much to do in the Amari manor she was currently in. "I did what dad asked! So I get to be with you! I'm at the top of my class! My teacher even says there's a chance of me becoming an Honorary Ultimate!"_

_"Honey, you shouldn't be worrying about that stuff at this age. You should be playing with other kids when you're..." She stopped, her eyes dilated. But I did not notice, still smiling as I resisted the urge to start jumping in her lap._

_"I'm three, mommy!" She did not respond as she quickly placed me out of her lap and stomped her way over to Einosuke. Not knowing what else to do, I jumped into the rocking chair and started playing with it. Everything else in the room did not catch my interest, as there was nothing of note other than all of the golds and reds. One time I got into my mother's makeup drawer but quickly got bored of doing makeup on my face so I decided to draw all over the walls instead. Of course, that was when I first learned about the true horrors of the punishments of this cursed house._

_"Einosuke, what the Hell!?" The yelling got me to stop in my tracks and pay attention to whatever my mother was doing with Einosuke. "This was not part of the agreement! Once my father hears about this, you're going to jail for the rest of your life! This is...I don't know what to call this but it isn't legal or right! Shiro doesn't deserve to be raised in whatever you call this!"_

_Einosuke did not answer._

_"You better give me a goddamn explanation! Does all of our memories...your promises...mean nothing to you!?" Once again, there was no response. But, instead of doing what the rules of the house dictated, she let her anger get the better of her. The sound of Einosuke being slapped is something that I will never be able to forget._

_"...You have to experience punishment for your sins." My mother did not listen to him, preparing to slap Einosuke another time. But, before her hand made contact once again, Einosuke grabbed onto it, twisting it so much that my mother started to cry out in pain._

_"Mommy-"_

_"Shiro, stay there and be a good little girl," Einosuke demanded. But I did not listen, running to my mother and holding onto her leg as if my life depended on it. Now touching her, I remember how cold her skin felt, with the pure chill forever being ingrained into my memory. "Do I have to teach you more about who is really in control here?"_

_"Listen to me, Shiro. Just let go-"_

_"No!" Not even my mother's warnings were enough, as my small arms clung harshly on the only source of hope they ever had. Einosuke released his hold on my mother, causing her body to betray her with a sigh of relief. But instead, Einosuke kicked me, my weak child arms not being able to hold on against the force as I fell onto the ground. Instead of helping anything in the situation, I started to sob._

_"I'm sorry, Shiro." My mother then bolted out of the room with tears in her eyes. Einosuke tried to go after her but she somehow trapped the two of us in the room. I remember the frantic steps of my mother echoing throughout the hallway, with the walls of the room being quite thin. When Einosuke pulled out his phone, dialing somebody who was most likely Minori and started to scream into it, I took my chance and hid underneath the bed._

_Too bad for my mother, she did not make it that far. She should have just been smart and figured out a way to escape without causing such a big scene. Maybe she would still be herself if she thought with just a little bit of logic._

* * *

Not knowing why I suddenly had that memory, I examined my surroundings to see that I am still in Fubuki's room. Nothing has changed and, even with the room holding possible clues about Fubuki, it is best to save searching for later and see if there is anybody here that I have not met yet.

Stepping out of the strange room, I find myself once again in the hallway of overbearing white. Whoever did the interior decorating of this place needs to be fired because none of their designs so far have been good or even made that much sense. But, instead of meeting nobody there, or even the group of actors, I see the figures of a boy and a girl looking out into space from one of the windows. Just by looking at them, I can tell that the two of them are related. The Committee must be planning something with siblings, but I cannot figure out what. Since Kotori is presumably gone, and she has told people she would kill them if they even thought about making her into an experiment in the case of death, I cannot guess who can possibly want to do such research. There is the new head of research that I forget the name of, but he seems nicer than Kotori, perhaps too nice. Everybody focuses on Kotori not knowing what exactly her so-called successor is doing in her absence. Enough with that type of thinking, there are more important things to focus on. Although I did not notice her before, I also see that a girl with blue hair is behind the two siblings. Knowing the type of people that are on this ship, it would not surprise me if somebody creates a type of battle between all of the siblings.

"Oh hello there!" Without much prompting, the girl from the siblings comes up to me. I notice that Fubuki's room is near the end of the hallway, which means it does not take her long to catch up to me. The blue-haired girl does not move, crossing her arms while relaxing against one of the closed doors and looking off into space. "Do you happen to be lost? Don't worry, you would not be the first."

Meanwhile, her brother is much less graceful. Once he realizes that his sister is gone, he also goes running. However, he does not pay attention to where he is going, and I do not react fast enough, so he ends up accidentally knocking into me. "O-oh I am so sorry! I am afraid I was not quite looking where I was meant to be going, aha. Ahm…a-are you okay, Ma'am? You are not hurt at all?"

"I am a man," I sigh. Perhaps I really should cut my hair if people keep mistaking me this often. Though I am not offended by it, mostly just annoyed. Society still does not like men with long hair, but that is how I prefer it. Although it might sound childish to some, I often find that playing around with my hair while nobody else is around is a good way to relax.

"O-Oh…! You are not a…I-I am so sorry! I did not mean to offend you, please accept my apologies! Oh dear, we seem to have started off on the wrong foot…sorry…a-anyway...ahem...please let me try again. Ahm...ahem...I am Sora Akahoshi and I am the Ultimate Astrobiologist. It is wonderful to meet you! I hope we can get along, despite our ahm…start."

* * *

**Sora Akahoshi**

**Ultimate Astrobiologist**

* * *

Sora is on the shorter side and looks to be rather skinny, though I would guess that he is also somebody who is nimble and flexible. It would not be a stretch to say, however, that I can beat Sora in a fight rather easily except if he somehow has some hidden ability. His skin is rather pale, and, thanks to features such as a round face, I am willing to guess that Sora looks young for his age, not helped by the clusters of boyish freckles that have gathered around Sora's small, upturned nose. He has soft blue eyes that are almond-shaped. Adding onto Sora's youthful appearance, his orange auburn hair is messy, which extends to the top of his neck to the back and hangs in subtly spiked sections at the front, a few strands sticking out unevenly here and there to give him a rather disorganized look. They fall to almost obscure the corner of his right eye, whilst a thin pointed fringe hangs to the level of his eyelid, with the sections to the left of his face being held neatly out of his eyes by a gold-colored hair clip in the shape of a crescent moon, decorated with a little navy and white ribbon. On top of his head are three small strands that stick out to the left, right and midline, a little like a small bird's nest.

Sora wears a simple V-necked dark navy t-shirt with rolled-up sleeves to just above his elbows. The center of the shirt bears an iconic image of the planet Saturn, complete with its majestic rings, whilst the rim of the shirt sits ruffled against a pair of light grey shorts which reach a little above his knees. A pale and sleeveless green coat is wrapped around his body, hanging to the level of his shorts with a beige fake fur hood and bearing large pockets in the sides. On his feet, he wears pale green sneakers with grey tight laces in a bow and a pair of odd socks, one pulled to just below his knee, black with a gold star pattern, and the other a little lower, navy and striped. Lastly, he wears a few accessories to add further interest to his look. This includes a few themed pins embellishing his coat, depicting an alien head, UFO and small plant to signify life, a thin white belt secured with a buckle in the shape of a shuttle, two complex digital watches on each wrist, and a headband at his head, from which sprouts a pair of green 'alien' antennae which he made himself, a creative indication of his talent. As well as this, he has a light brown canvas backpack slung over his left shoulder. Without knowing much of his personality, I can already tell he fits in with the rest of the people stuck on this ship.

"My name is Shiro Amari, Ultimate Composer, pleased to make your acquaintance as well." Wanting to get this introduction out of the way to hopefully return to some sane people, or perhaps find a room all to myself, I quickly do a little bow.

"Another new name to remember…that shouldn't be a problem. Well, Shiro-san, it's nice to meet you, I suppose. …Who am I? Well… I am Chika Akahoshi, the Ultimate Cosmologist. You probably would not have heard of me or my brother, unless you read lots of specialist scientific journals." That is confirmation that my sibling theory was correct. Though, with the use of old Japanese honorifics, I can tell that their family must be one of the few with at least a little bit of Japanese culture in them that are in the cities. Japanese culture is still popular in small towns and nomads, but the Committee is more strict on them whenever they can be as a result.

* * *

**Chika Akahoshi**

**Ultimate Cosmologist**

* * *

Like her brother, Chika is slightly short for her age and has the general body type of an ectomorph, a little on the skinny side. Chika isn't particularly busty, although her hips have a slight curve to them. Her complexion matches her brother's being light and fair, with similar clusters of freckles at her cheeks and the same sky-blue irises, although her eyes are a little less soft than Sora's and more pointed, outlined with hints of mascara at her eyelashes for some emphasis. Overall, her face shape is a little more angular than Sora's, with a subtly pointed chin. Matching Sora, her hair is orange ginger in shade, but is styled in a neater with the aim to appear presumably more professional. Although she does have the same small 'bird's nest' sticking from the top of her head, the rest of her hair is neatly styled in two woven plaits which hang down her shoulders to the level of her mid-upper arm, secured with black bobbles bearing a small star bead. Her fringe is slightly slanted to the left but is swept cleanly out the way by a gold star-shaped hair clip.

Chika's outfit is generally smart and neat, but comfortable, as well as appropriate and linked with her talent. She wears a loose blue knitted jumper which hangs slightly off the shoulders and down over her black slightly flared skirt. The skirt bears significant patterns and swirls in the pleats in a manner that is made to resemble star nebulae. Under this, she has a pair of dark red plain tights and wears patent black shoes on her feet, with a subtle heel and appearing a little clunky, with thin straps secured by silver square buckles. Over her outfit she wears an open scientific lab coat which flows to the flares of her skirt, bearing a collar and several black buttons with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. A few accessories complete her outfit, including a navy silk scarf bearing constellation patterns in delicate silver thread and a few space-themed badges similar to her brother's. On her wrists, she wears a delicate bronze chain, on her right wrist, with a few small charms attached, including a flower, test-tube, rocket, book, and star. On the other, she wears a similar watch to her brother, to detect background radiation signals and the like, highly advanced things. Lastly, she has a similar backpack to her brother, but hers is colored grey.

"I know…I can scarcely believe we are actually here. In space. Really…in outer space. I have only dreamed of this moment…to think we would actually be here, Sora…!" Chika's eyes sparkle with a strangely mature sense of enthusiasm. It is hard to explain, much like how I get around music.

"Wait, um..we need to form a team, w-work together to find a way out of here before it is too late. Ah…I still can hardly believe we are in space right now. The planets, the constellations, the stars we orbit around…there is so much out there to explore, although we could be anywhere right now, perhaps…even in another solar system! I wonder if conditions might spark alien life and if there is the possibility we may one day meet them. Does…does the prospect not just fill you with excitement~?" Sora brings up a good point. Although I highly doubt the Committee itself can be that advanced in spacial travel, somebody outside, perhaps the True Despairs or the Future Foundation could have this as their hidden weapon against the Committee. With how poorly the Committee treats the world, it is not hard to guess that there might be a need for humanity to abandon Earth in the near future.

"Isn't it weird that you two are the only ones really reacting?" The other person asks. "Really would've thought I would have some reaction to being in space but all I feel is empty." Whoever this person with blue hair is, I already get the feeling that I would like her. Perhaps I should have thought the reactions, or lack thereof, of everybody else, was suspicious, but I was too busy studying the other students. Sometimes I think I forgot about even being in space, which is not the normal human reaction.

Without explaining herself further, the person goes back to going into the void. Now that there are no visible stars, it reminds me of the dark bottoms of the sea or the pitch darkness of after midnight during winter. Reaching my hand out into the void will cause me to be lost to the void forever, being forever drowned by the waves yet somehow still having the will to continue on.

"But space is amazing!" The siblings react at the same time. However, they get no response. The girl without warning walks away without saying goodbye and heads into Fubuki's room, which I find odd but perhaps I can question her later. Though I realize I accidentally left the door open this entire time. Now that the girl has pointed out some strange...happenings, I am much more suspicious of everything. Usually, I am a lot more cautious than this, or at least I hope so.

"That's strange... there are no stars except for that one. What part of space is this?" From the one second I did not have my eyes on them, Sora and Chika have returned to the window. Though both of them seem...eccentric, Chika is far more down to Earth than Sora. "First we should figure out what type of star that is and if humanity has a record of it."

"Maybe we will run into another planet! And get to talk to aliens!" Sora exclaims to his sister. "Let's see...it is not one of the stars nearest to us which might mean we are in another galaxy light-years away!"

"Sora, I don't think that's the case. The technology doesn't exist yet. Maybe the True Despairs or Committee did something." Not truly understanding all of their scientific talk, and them not paying attention to me, I decide that it is best to leave them be for now. Though, with their knowledge about space, the two of them might prove to be useful. Thinking back on it now, I remember Kotori mentioning the last name Akahoshi before, but I forget the context. Kotori is more involved in the scientific community than I ever will be, so maybe she has read their articles, with them being Ultimates it's most likely that they published at least one paper while they were children after all. Being an Ultimate without dedicating your entire life to a subject is hard, but it has been done before.

Looking back towards the door to Fubuki's room, I realize that the girl is now back. Considering the room is small it does not surprise me that it does not take her a long time to investigate it.

"Oh, excuse me, my name is Shiro Amari, Ultimate Composer. It will be good for the two of us to properly meet. May I ask your name?" I ask her. She turns around to face me. Analyzing her face more, I notice her lowered eyebrows and slightly squinting eyes.

"Hanane Wada. Nice to meet you."

"Your talent?" Hanane raises one of her eyebrows with my question and then sighs. She looks behind her shoulder, noticing that the siblings are still talking to themselves.

"Ah, that? Ultimate Yosegi Artist."

* * *

**Hanane Wada**

**Ultimate Yosegi Artist**

* * *

Although I do not know much about the art of yosegi, I can respect those who have pursued the craft. I have never been great with the crafts part of art, but everybody has some sort of weakness. Last time I tried to make yosegi it ended up with me getting splinters in an incident I still do not quite understand. But, enough about yosegi itself, I am glad that I am finally able to meet another creative type in here with a logical mindset. Many in the creative arts are too emotional for their own good, deluding themselves into thinking that their emotions are the key to art. If that was the case, anybody with a dream and determination could be able to do so. Sadly, most people in the creative arts burn in the eternal flames, desperately seeking a way for their life to be whole but never quite getting there. Getting a successful job in the arts is even harder with the Committee, though they have been more lenient as of late. Part of that is because of the Remnants of Music (though really they focused on all arts, they started with music)...but the less said about the Remnants of Music the better. The Remnants is something not many people like to think about, even the Committee does not boast about their defeat like the other rebellion groups.

Anyway, people who think music is all art are fools. Mostly it is math and practice. Even if you set into the path with bright eyes, eventually they will dull once you realize that nothing is ever in your control. Something you love can be easily turned into the greatest weapon against you.

Enough with that, Hanane has wavy cornflower blue hair that is slightly longer than shoulder length, with some of her side-swept fringe plaited. Apart from this plait, she wears her hair down, with an Alice-band of some sort. Her ears are pierced and she wears large colorful studs in them. Her eyes are round with a slight feline angular-ness to them, and they do not seem to be of a particular color, though with hues of orange, pink and dark purple identifiable, they are often simply described as 'sunset color'. Hanane has a slim, attractive figure and a pale, flawless complexion, though her hands are callused and her nails are kept very short. For being so serious and logical, Hanane is actually quite colorful, which is something I do not get to see often. Most of the time calling attention to yourself is a death sentence, but Hanane either does not care or knows how to take care of herself.

Hanane has on a light pink-and-white striped off the shoulder top with a dark purple pleated skirt that reaches mid-thigh. She wears knee-high stripy socks that match her top, and sky blue converses. For accessories, she has a pink beaded headband in her hair with a hot-pink, light-blue and white striped bow on top of it, a white choker necklace with a small light-blue, hot-pink and peach-colored bow, red star-shaped ear-studs and numerous beaded bracelets on her wrists that match these other accessories in some way or another. Somehow, Hanane becomes brighter and brighter, becoming a greater contrast to the current grimace on her face. Or maybe I am being too harsh since Hanane has surprisingly soft facial features other than her grimace. Perhaps Hanane is somebody I should not jump to conclusions on since she seems to be too smart to simply wear her heart on her sleeve.

"You should pay more attention," Hanane warns me. "The twins have left and said goodbye. They probably found it weird you didn't respond." So Sora and Chika are twins? They must have a tighter bond than I have with any of my siblings, considering all of the hype everybody has for twins. The same can be said about Yuu and Yuki, who are inseparable.

"Thank you for giving me that information. Do not worry, for I simply got lost in thought."

"I should keep an eye on you. That could get you killed in a Killing Game." Hanane immediately piques more of my interest. She does not change her facial expressions at all during this conversation.

"...Do you perhaps have any more information?" Though I do not understand why this response causes Hanane to turn away.

"I don't. I'll see you later." Hanane retreats into Fubuki's room once more before I can ask her any more questions. The girl is so fast that I do not have time to respond. Following Hanane will only make things awkward for the future, so it is best to question her more when I see her again. Though she is smarter than a lot of the other students, Hanane's social skills seem like they could use some work. Part of staying alive in this world is learning how the Committee and others in power want you to act. Being true to yourself will only get you killed.

Waiting for a couple of minutes, I do not see anybody else in the halls or Hanane changing her mind. So, with nothing else to do, I travel back to what I assume is supposed to be the main hallway. Most people are probably in those areas since they are the easiest to investigate. Although there is a lot of content in this hallway, the overwhelming white is still sometimes too much for my eyes to process, giving me a massive headache.

* * *

Reaching back to the room with the buffet and way too many balloons, I realize that a lot of the balloons are actually gone. With all of them out of the way, it is starting to look somewhat like a normal room. There are two people in the room, a man and a woman. The girl I recognize from before, since she was the one that I met with Kobi and ran off before I could get her name. But the man is somebody that I have never seen before, yet his demeanor already reminds me of Kaimaru. It is best to prepare with these two since I get the feeling that at least the man will be in trouble. Dealing with people like Kaimaru is always unpleasant since not only do they often make me uncomfortable, their unpredictability has a habit of ruining otherwise wonderful plans. One of my brothers could not control his lust and now he is forever on the run from the Amari family because of his lack of self-control.

The girl looks the same as the last time I saw her. But now she is far more relaxed, with none of the stress that I saw when she was around Kobi, or perhaps it was Keiji or Choumi that set her off. I know almost nothing about her so maybe I will learn if she has some sort of past history with them, but the most likely answer is probably not.

The boy is relaxed but in a much different way, his smirk giving me horrible ideas about what he could possibly be planning. Though, looking over the two of them, I notice that they both have a lack of shoes. It is still a terrible idea to be watching around barefoot, especially since most of these rooms have already proven themselves to be wildly unpredictable.

"Hello, mister! It's good to finally see an adult like you. Somebody who can appreciate the platonic beauty of massages and lead us through these trying times!" the boy exclaims, throwing his arms around in a theatrical way. "Though...if you want my hands to run over your entire body?... Massaging _almost _every inch? Well, that's going to cost you." He winks and proves my theory from before. Two flirts on this ship will prove to be utter chaos, yet somehow they are not the biggest threat to the safety of everybody else. That, without question, goes to Ryoichi. He can be secretly a serial killer and nobody would be surprised.

"Are you the one that I met earlier?" I ask the blonde. Though I am certain, it is best to check, because there is a small chance she is a twin or somebody who just happens to look similar.

"Oh yeah, I remember you. We didn't get each other's names," she responds. The man is doing something but I decide to ignore him. The woman seems to be doing the same.

"Why did you leave early?" I ask the girl.

"Hey, I'm Leonie Sommer, the Ultimate Game Developer." Leonie ignores my question but is noticeably not rude about it. Instead of being offended about us not paying attention to his childish games, the man just shrugs, muttering something along the lines of 'eh whatever.'

* * *

**Leonie Sommer**

**Ultimate Game Developer**

* * *

Finally getting the time to more fully analyze Leonie, I do not see anything out of place except for her obvious lack of shoes and some of her appearance being messy. Though perhaps this is out of misunderstanding current fashion trends than anything dealing with laziness or stress. For reasons I cannot comprehend, styles that are similar to Leonie's are now popular in some European countries. Because of her clear European lineage, she could be influenced by her country of origin. I do not know much about European last names, but Sommer sounds like it is either German or Danish. Most likely Leonie is German, since most of Denmark was destroyed in a battle against Novoselic, leaving the current residents in a state of severe poverty under their current Committee rule. Germany, however, surrendered to Novoselic like many of the countries they invaded because of the destruction of Denmark.

"You two are no fun but whatever. I could still give you the times of your lives if you want." He laughs, even though Leonie and I do not respond. "Fine, fine, you two get to learn about the wonder of Rokuro Karasuma. My talent should be pretty easy to guess but leaving you possibly hanging would be rude. I'm the Ultimate Masseur."

* * *

**Rokuro Karasuma**

**Ultimate Masseur**

* * *

Rokuro has chin-length and smooth, black hair with noticeable eyelashes that could carry a more feminine quality. Rokuro also has a dark skin tone and a pair of deep, magenta eyes. With that skin tone, he is most likely from the Southern rural area of Japan, since many born in that part of Japan have darker skin tones thanks to the warmer temperatures created there from the Tragedy, with many agreeing that it should now be considered a desert thanks to its changed landscapes. His build is small, cute and slender and his facial features only enhance his cuteness with seemingly soft skin. With his looks, Rokuro can easily be considered attractive by many, even by the Committee that usually tries to promote a more masculine look for men, but he looks too look to be anybody that I could be interested in. Rokuro may flirt a lot, but a part of me can already tell that he does so more for a laugh than an actual romantic interest. Though, with that smirk, anything can be true, since people like Rokuro can often skilled in the art of deception.

Rokuro wears a somewhat loose, off-the-shoulder white and tan shirt that looks to be from an ancient civilization with Greek-like designs on it which appear to look like runes at the top in gold with equally loose sleeves. He also wears a pair of black, baggy pants that go down to the middle of his calves in length as they are pretty tight right where they stop like jogger pants but they resemble to be more like harem pants. These days not many loyal to the Committee would dare to wear something like this, so I am left questioning why the Committee thought it was a good idea to allow Rokuro into their school when there is a good chance he will betray them. But nobody should ever try going against the Committee, even somebody that seems as smart as Rokuro possibly is for making it this far in that outfit and attitude. Doing more of these 'rebellious' actions will cause Rokuro to be buried in the sands of his presumed home, forever forgotten by time as nobody makes an attempt to find his tormented spirit.

"I just want to get off my feet. We found..." Leonie gestures to me.

"Shiro, Ultimate Composer."

"We found Shiro so let's go to the gym. Let's get this over with."

"Oh, Shiro~ Just to give you a heads up everybody is meeting up in the gym. We still need to find lots of people so please help us." Rokuro starts giving me puppy dog eyes. He really does not have to, since I personally agree with this plan. With all of this time spent investigating the area apart, it is best to come together and report all of our findings. But I do not personally want to waste my time wandering the space ship even more at this moment, so it is probably best to make my way over to the gym without the help of Rokuro or Leonie.

"I personally will rather meet up with the group in the gym and see what they have planned. Searching for people is not my strong suit."

"I didn't want to do this job but they asked me nicely so why not?" Leonie shrugs.

"And I want to meet as many possible new friends as I can. Staying in one room talking about important stuff seems so boring." Rokuro dramatically groans. "How can people stand hearing themselves talk for so long about the tritest of subjects?" If Kotori was still here, I get the feeling that she would have already shot Rokuro in the head so she could use his blood and organs in one of her experiments. There is simply no mercy in the real world, with one simple mistake turning you into nothing but blood in a test tube and body in a mass grave, fire eating away at any proof of your existence as your ashes get thrown into the water supply of somebody who is asking way too many questions. Billions of people have existed in the world and every single one of them will be forgotten as the Committee continues to live on, even the likes of Junko Enoshima eventually being erased completely by history.

"We should be going now! It was great to meet you!" Waving to me, Leonie leaves to begin searching the white hall. I consider telling her to search the rooms but it is best to see how the two of them will manage finding the others hiding away in the rooms. They should know how to do the jobs they are given if they want to survive in their adult years, especially because of their Ultimate titles.

With only me and Rokuro in the room, it looks to me that he is going to leave with Leonie, but, surprising me, he stops by me instead. He is uncomfortably close as he whispers into my ear. "I know you're lying." With a skip and a smile, Rokuro then leaves, waving to me as he exits the door.

Rokuro's words stop me in my tracks. Though I do not know the possible goal Rokuro's words have, I cannot hide the fact that it is at least somewhat true. That means, no matter what, Rokuro cannot be trusted. Even if he survives this Killing Game, the Committee will find out about him and make sure that he is safely eliminated. Maybe they gave Rokuro an Ultimate talent to lure him to Kyoto, or Rokuro is lying about his status like Tahlia is so focused on doing. But a liar cannot allow another liar to live so freely with that kind of information.

This is no time to be dwelling on useless matters. Nothing can be done in this current situation, as killing Rokuro would be too risky even if the rules have not yet come into effect. Best to continue on my way.

* * *

Entering the main hallway once again, I am surprised to see Chika in the hallway without Sora with another man that has his face turned yet somehow still seems familiar. Examining further, I notice that Chika is biting her lip but most likely not realizing it. Approaching her, she must be lost in thought since I am not yet noticed.

"It is good to see you again, Chika."

"Oh, Sora-san. You did not happen to come across my brother, did you? We got separated investigating the storage room," Chika informs me. With a deep breath, she stops her nervous tic. It is best to remember all of this information, as this can be used to make Sora and Chika more useful assets. Chika seems to keep a calm head during this type of situation or is very good at hiding her true feelings.

"I'm helping Chika out! Nice to meet you, Shiro!" Turning to face me, I finally get a full picture of the man. His pleasant smile is something that I know too well but still remains a complete mystery. But that face is making me want to bolt although I think he is quite handsome. Sometimes those with the prettiest faces turn out to be the most poisonous snakes. "My name is Himura Sachihiro. I hope for us to become friends! I'm also the Ultimate Violinist!"

* * *

**Himura Sachihiro**

**Ultimate Violinist**

* * *

There is something seriously wrong here. Maybe I should make Yuu and Himura go against each other since there is no way Hope's Peak would allow repeat talents...except for possibly more funds given to them by a greedy family determined to forever curse their child to the life of a lonely puppet. He offers his hand with a sickly sweet smile, an offer much like accepting candy from a stranger. Learning my lesson, I leave him hanging, causing Himura to childishly frown. But I am not foolish enough to take a bite out of the apple that the snake desires so much and so sweetly.

Part of the reason for this distrust of this strange sense of comfort and...nostalgia?...is him reminding me a lot of Kazuhiko. Not many can do such a task, since Kazuhiko sticks out with his honestly outdated attire. But Himura is not outdated, looking like he pays close attention to the current trends that the top of the Committee desire.

His hair is black and messy, with it reaching all the way to his shoulders. Himura's eyes are an alluring blue, much like a tide lulling you to sleep before it silently drags you underneath the waves to never be heard from again. Much like the snow, Himura's snow is white, what may seem soft at first can quickly turn into a violent storm. Despite having a creative talent, I can already tell that Himura is much more muscular than the average person. Must be the type of person to take their health very seriously. It would be hard playing the violin with all of that muscle, but that must be part of Himura's talent. Many Ultimates do not fit the assumed body types of their talents, perhaps not needing to follow such rules because of their complete mastery.

For his outfit, Himura seems overdressed for the occasion, but I cannot complain since I too am wearing a suit. The suit Himura wears is a tuxedo, with the pants and jacket being colored black. His shirt is exposed thanks to him only buttoning one button, showing the blue in the sea of black. Unlike most people with a suit nowadays, Himura does not wear a tie, instead wearing a pendant of eighth note. From what I can tell, the tuxedo is made out of silk, or a material similar to that. To add some color to his deary outfit, Himura has a white rose in his left breast pocket. Himura tucks his shirt like a true gentlemen, which shows off his white belt, not to mention Himura also wears white dress shoes. I would say that it is illogical to wear white socks, but I realize I might have made a mistake white my white pants. And, to top it all off, Himura wears a blue fedora. Or that would be it if I do not count Himura's black violin case, that he is carrying around with him in ease. Perhaps that is why Himura is so muscular.

"We should go get going. Sora needs me!" Without waiting for the two of us, Chika rushes back into the storage room. Seeing that the two of us are now alone, Himura flashes me a smile. A smile that reminds me too much of Mei's. Everything about that smile is the same, leaving no uniqueness to be desired. Once again the gates of Gehenna threaten to open and swallow me whole. But Alice instead chooses to jump into the depths of Wonderland, free to make all the horrible decisions her heart yearns for.

"Come on, we gotta help Chika!" Not paying that much attention to Himura anymore, it takes me a second to realize that he has taken hold of my hand, using his free hand not carrying his case. For a second, I notice the smile slip. But nothing happens. Himura begins to smile again way too wide as he pulls me into the storage room. But, taking everything in, I finally realize Himura's hands are ice cold.

* * *

Once she sees Himura and I, Chika begins to journey inside the massive maze. At a moment like this, I wished that Ayumu was around to help again, but I think I remember the way back through thee labyrinth. Chika moves fast, examining everywhere thoroughly and quickly while Himura and I just try to keep up with her. Or perhaps I am not paying attention, since somehow it seems the walls have changed, revealing new puzzles to solve with the endless halls of useless items that will never serve any purpose other than entertaining people who have a sick sense of humor. Maybe I have an actual point with these references to Wonderland. This world is ruled by those who will happily paint the kingdom walls red for the sake of their whole ego. Hang the heads of the dead as demented ornaments, for people to praise their endless glory. Let the tortured souls have cake, filled to the brim with the entrails of those that they believed they loved but consume without second thought.

But there is a sudden stop. Looking ahead, I realize there are three different paths. The left one continues on much like our current path, the middle looks much more simpler with it having less items in its aisles. Lastly, the right is the most complicated, with me already telling how much it twists and turns although that should not be possible. Not knowing which one Sora is the most likely to pick, I wait for Chika to say anything. Chika continues down the left one, while Himura goes down the middle without any guidance. I feared I would go down the most complicated. Perhaps there is a way to forever get lost in this labyrinth and not deal with any of the consequences for the selfish actions of others. But, once again, I have to remind myself such a dream is impossible. Maybe we should close off this area when the game starts as well. Not only are there many dangerous objects, such as the shot put balls that are still too close to the edge for anybody to be comfortable, the confusion of these aisles would make it too easy to hide a body.

But I do not pay much attention to whatever is on the endless shelves. Last time that happened...whoever is behind this must know more about our lives, maybe even more than the Committee itself. So now everything is a blur, begging for attention that it will never get. In all truthfulness, everything in this life is useless, as eventually everything will cease to be. Why cling onto power when all it does is destroy your mind? It is simply logical to live your life as nothing more than a slave to your own body, since truly nothing you ever do will matter in this world.

"Shiro-san!" Sora exclaims as he waves to me. I jump when he seemingly comes out of nowhere. There is something in his hands that looks like a toy that claims to naive children that it is alien blood when in reality it is poisonous glop; rushed onto the shelves by greedy businessmen who are only interested in making a profit and do not care how many children end up in the hospital by eating it. "Have you seen Chika?"

"Yes, she is looking for you."

"So sorry for everything! I was so fascinated by everything in here...and I kind of got lost." Looking closer, I see that Sora is shaking but trying to hide it all with yet another smile. If anybody else gives me a false smile, then I will become severely concerned. Though I have mastered the fake smile for situations involving the Committee, using the skill in a situation like this is a waste of time and effort.

"It is alright, we should get going. I should know the way back." Sora places the toy away and the two of us walk together. He is much slower than his sister, taking time to calculate his steps.

"Eh...how are you, Shiro-san?" Sora asks. I barely even realized that it has been quite some time in silence with the two of us. Unlike me, Sora is searching through all the shelves, most likely trying to see if anything else catches his eye. Perhaps it is best to keep a better eye on him, otherwise he might get lost again and then more time would be wasted.

"I am alright, there is no need to be concerned about me."

"Well, what do you think about space? Hanane-san...mentioned some weird happenings...But I am certain that everything is alright!"

"It is best to be cautious. Always make sure that you are safe, otherwise the people around you will suffer," I respond. Sora nods his head, but I noticed he was still tense, wishing to bolt but never finding the perfect time to. It seems like all of the siblings I have ran into are perhaps too connected to each other. In my life, siblings were a nuisance, yet there were perks to treating them right so that is what I did. But, if there was a choice between me and all of my siblings, I will throw them all away without a second thought. People are too concerned about blood, and even bonds created from friendship are overrated. Not even I matter in this world, so why should I care about others that will only serve to bring me down? But Sora does not need to hear the truth, the only words that drip out of my mouth are ones of delicious venom.

After a couple more minutes of wandering through the aisles, I realize that I am lost, not recognizing the lack of hazardous objects on the top of the shelves. But Sora does not need to know that. He looks content analyzing everything on the shelves. For all knowledge, he does not realize that I might be leading us in circles. Really big circles. Like constantly riding a carousel, hoping to get to another location, not remembering that all rides have a fixed track. Without that fixed track, there could be severe consequences. Such as a roller coaster potentially crushing the body of an innocent person whose only crime was not paying enough attention.

"I'm here to save you!" Appearing out of nowhere much like Sora, Himura is now in front of us. "My fabulous damsels, allow me to be your knight in shining armor! Let's go this way!"

I wait for a response from Sora and find it suspicious that there is not one. Looking to where Sora is at, I see the younger boy frozen in fear, his eyes almost completely dilated.

"...Y-you...?"

"Oh hi, Mr. Akahoshi, didn't know it was you but I should've known. Come on, let's go together!" Himura takes a step closer to Sora who is still not moving a single inch.

"...F-Fool...?"

"That's not nice! My name's Himura Sachihiro, remember?"

"So sorry!" Sora begins walking fast in the other direction. He does not take a single second to even look back at us. Maybe it would be wise to chase after him again, but honestly I have already wasted too much time with him. If he wants to continue being lost in this maze, then that is his decision. Nobody can change such a simple mind from being so foolish.

"That was weird! Well one damsel to save today!" Himura walks in the opposite direction than Sora so I follow him. Like Ayumu, he has a basic grasp about these confusing walls. Not only will Himura prove to potentially be a good asset for me in my career, but also in surviving this spaceship. There are many more possible members for my benefit so perhaps this experience will prove to be worth it in the end.

* * *

It is odd how much time it takes to be free of the maze. When I turn back to thank Himura for his services, since many people like their egos to the stroked (and it is the only reason people go out of their way to do something fools think is considered nice), I realize that he is gone. I can already tell Himura has a bad habit of randomly disappearing from conversations. What is really odd, however, is at the same time I become free of the maze once again, I see Sora has managed to escape using one of the other routes. Chika is outside when she notices her brother and rushes over to him.

"Sora, there you are! I thought you would be running around here somewhere. It's good to have you back, Lil bro. You weren't getting scared without me, were you~?"

"Ch-Chi! I am so glad I found you! I was beginning to get worried…what? N-no! I was _not_ scared! …much. R-really, I am not a scaredy cat!" The two of them are happy for now. Maybe I will be able to use this incident in the future for some extra favors. It is best to not interrupt such a sweet and tender moment, so I decide that I should go back outside. There is no way I am returning back to the maze willingly except if I get something of value from it.

* * *

Going back outside, I do not have time to react when Leonie and Rokuro find me once again. I do not know how much time has passed but it seems believable that they could be back. Hopefully I will not be forced to look for any more of my classmates. After all of this, I want to go to the gym, gather the last remains of useful information, and go to sleep, even though I have yet to find any bedrooms. Or bathrooms for that matter, for I think people would appreciate the ability to relieve themselves. If they do not give us bathrooms, maybe we can find yet another purpose for the maze.

"Shiro~ It's good to see you again! Can you help us, pretty please?" Rokuro starts fluttering his eyelashes. Leonie still does not look impressed.

"Only if you want," Leonie adds-on. "We almost got everybody. Jun said there were thirty people here."

"Leonie just wants to get rid of me. Don't let her pretty looks distract you. Because we all know I'm the true queen here!" Rokuro begins posing again. Although Leonie is good at hiding it, I can tell that, much like me, she just wants to get away.

"Do not put words in her mouth. Maybe it is best if we find our way together to the gym." Before I can start walking toward the gym, Himura appears right in front of me, going right in front of Leonie and Rokuro.

"Hi, I'm Himura Sachihiro. Ultimate Violinist. Blah blah blah. You're not interested in all of that!" Himura grins as he grabs one hand from Leonie and Rokuro. "We should all be friends here! That's the good thing to do!" Leonie tries to get her hand out of his grasp but cannot while Rokuro stares at him. Then he presses together, making them do a handshake.

"Himura, you should not do that," I berate him. This kind of behavior will only get him killed! However, he does not pay attention to me, making his way to the gym instead. Although I have the option, I stay, looking at Leonie and Rokuro and getting a horrible feeling. Their eyes look gazed over but full of dread, as their bodies refuse to move from their current state. This is an experience I know all too well thanks to whatever happenings are occurring on this spaceship. Whatever the True Despairs, or the Committee, or maybe even Future Foundation, is doing must involve a lot of science that gets into our heads and turns us into something else. In this world, nothing is in your control, as there is always somebody higher up than you holding all of the strings. Even the Master has to accept that truth. For she is the Master of nothing but her own delusions.

"We should pretend this never happened!" Leonie shouts, now she and Rokuro are out of their daze. It takes a couple of minutes for them to return back to their status quo. Rokuro just nods his head. The two of them do not remember or realize that I am still there with them as they head over silently to the gymnasium. My mind keeps attempting to think about the mysterious, but, for some reason, there is nothing. Hanane has a point. This reminds me too much of Kotori's point for it to be considered some sort of sick coincidence. If she were still alive, Kotori would be praising the creators on how much they understand the act of torturing those who they believe have no rights. After all, they exist purely for entertainment, with the Despairs making their lives purposefully worse to create a twisted narrative that just will not stop with the melodrama.

When Leonie and Rokuro open the doors to the gymnasium, I see them disappear from my line of sight. That is when I start walking. Although I did not talk to Himura, Chika, or Sora about the plan, they can figure it out eventually. It does not take an expert to figure out where to meet as a gymnasium is a good place to set a meeting spot in most schools. Even though this is certainly a strange place, there is some inspiration from a school. It reminds me of the stories of the first Hope's Peak, where students were allowed to do whatever they wanted just as long as they still remained masters in their respected craft. Hope's Peak only cares about results, that has never changed. They caused all of this. Those greedy bastards running the Steering Committee, worshiping the bloodied ground Junko stood on, giving her empty words of praise thanks to her many different talents. Their greed and vanity caused all of this suffering, but we cannot blame them since that is simply human behavior. No matter what is done, Adam and Eve will listen to the snake offering them the sweetest of fruits. When in reality it is rotten and destroys them from the inside out.

Strolling my way to the destination, I am interrupted by the sound of a door opening. I remember that room as the rather disturbing room that Ryoichi and Saitou were fighting in. The door quickly opens to reveal Ryoichi, still towering over me as he glares. Taking a second to process what is happening, I realize that his outfit is strangely red. He moves over to the gymnasium. Although it is not smart to do whatsoever, I know that I have to open the door. Somebody else can deal with this but my mind is screaming for more answers that seconds before it did not want.

Almost like another person is in control, my body moves to the door, feeling the cold nothingness of the door handle before opening it. It is darker in the room before for some unknown reason, resulting in me closing the door and trying to find a light switch. I would have kept the door open but it automatically closes and there is nothing to hold it open. While I am searching, I notice the door open again and this time it is Hanane doing it, with her somehow getting a door stopper to keep the door open. She pulls out a flashlight I realize she might have gotten from the storage room. Though that would imply she was in there before, maybe she woke up in there or I am taking more time than I originally thought.

Going over to where Hanane is, she does not respond to seeing me. She instead points the flashlight in the middle of the room, revealing a pool of a liquid I know way too well. Searching the room more, the flashlight finally finds the source of all of the blood.

* * *

_There was too much clapping. Too much blood. But that is just what humans do, they bleed. What was full of life will always have everything taken away from them, their bodies not even remaining after so many years._

_So many wounds. Once perfect skin was still pale but everybody knows that even it is starting the process of dreadful decay. For the person has accepted their destiny, unlike most humans. Not even me. Everybody dies. Maybe it is better to get the pain over with and still die when you are young and beautiful._

_"Congratulations, you are finally part of the family." My once white dress is now scarlet. I never wanted to be part of a family, since all they cause are endless pain, but I had no choice in the matter. After all I now share the same blood as them, a collective of cursed souls that even Hell would reject. "You should rejoice as this is the fate only a chosen few will ever have the pleasure of knowing!"_

_Drip, drip._

_It is now my blood._

_Tick, tock._

_And there is no escaping that truth._

* * *

There are so many stab wounds. Why are there always so many stab wounds when one should do the job and be more efficient? But that does not change the fact that a life has already been taken. This will cause so many complications.

"Do you know who this is?" Hanane asks. She walks over to the body, carefully avoiding the blood splatters to not ruin her colorful outfit. "Or who did it? This needs to be solved as soon as possible." It might be obvious to me what happened, but Hanane never got to experience any of that. She is already so focused, examining the body and all the wounds on it. The body reminds me so much of an art piece, with the tactics of murder being done artistically like the person has experience with such a cruel act.

"That is Saitou Katatake."

Saitou Katatake should have known better. Such an imbecile can only be met with this pathetic fate, where the most remembrance he will leave is the blood now staining the floor. Should have ran away when he could have, because then he would not have to sacrifice his life for the Queen of Hearts. Alice will weep but such pointless actions are wasted on those who curse themselves to an early death.

* * *

**Goddammit, somebody is already dead. We're not even done with intros. Calm down your need for murder kids. Yes, I got some crazy shit planned so look forward to that. Sorry if this seems rushed but I really want intros to be over with. I'm almost out of Intro Hell. Hooray! :D And somebody is already dead since I can never control myself. Somebody save my characters from me.**

**Once again, if I get something wrong about your characters, correct me. Since I'm still getting used to writing everybody. If you've any advice at all, please tell me.**

**Thank you 1GlimmerShine for Saitou Katatake. Yes, he's important to the plot but I'm not saying how. ;)**

**Eventually I'll make a poll for free times because we just need to introduce people who are already known after this. Emilynn and Etsuko are just watching everybody scream while they eat popcorn.**

**QOTC: Which of the new students are you the most interested in?**

**Req's Rec: Danganronpa: The Monsters Within Us by OceanAstro**

**Reviews~**

**AnonChan1-I'm finally back even with all the craziness happening. Einosuke is an...interesting person. Time for people to want to kill him even more...oh, don't worry, he gets worse. Out of all his crazy amount of kids, Einosuke does actually have a kid named Einosuke because of course he has. HE GETS WORSE SO HE WARNED. I love him too, especially since Shiro is very much not sane. Shiro will never chill because now Himura has the Gehenna Smile. Ayumu doesn't get paid enough for this. Monokuma is just doing whatever he wants. Stop changing the storage room Monokuma. Thanks, I just love meta. Yes, Hanami is still with the Future Foundation. Ayano Kirigiri is like...what the fuck? Why isn't my death being reported? I'm still screaming about the Steven Universe finale. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Team Danganronpa is making a reference since they're also meta. THE BABY IS HERE WITH WONDERFULLY BAD MEMES! Suzu is just doing what Suzu does. Because Suzu. SUZU KNOWS ALL THE MEMES. Don't worry, just wait until Suzu meets with Emilynn. Kotori also gets worse, but that's mostly MoDE. Mystery man is...interesting. He's just like that.**

**Kotori...well, continues to be Kotori. Her death is a good thing except for the True Despairs going even more insane but yeah Kotori is a bitch. I rewrote Kazuhiko and Kaneshiro's relationship for MoDE and the audiobook so it will be explained. Ayano goes through so much shit because of me. Eimu...well, Eimu is Eimu. The text is the executions for Kazuhiko and Ayano. Suzu is doing something. Shiro has as much luck as my other protagonists so none at all. Mizore is just horrible with English skills. _NEW SHIP YAS! _Yep, Jun and Fubuki are siblings. I ship NatsukixKitsu too and yes I can finally write content about them. Just one more chapter and we're in Pre-Murder Hell! Hooray! Tahlia is five feet, seven inches. Anon, you accidentally predicted a plot point, Hanane likes you. Thanks so much! :D Just know you're going to get more Ayano food in the audiobook...for both of them. ;) KOBI IS SUCH A GOOD BOI! Well, here's Rokuro! There are many Einosukes help. I'm insane so yeah be prepared for anything. DADDY SHIRO WILL ALWAYS BE A THING! Thanks so much, cramps still are like the worse. Mochi is our Gold praise him. Mike is like...Kaleigh, you better not be writing at three AM again and I just sweatdrop. REQ YES.**


	6. Prologue 0-5

**Prologue 0-5: The Clock is Ticking**

**Beta Read by: Lupus Overkill (I almost forgot this and aaaaaahhhhhhh)**

* * *

_Blood on the ground...a loss of life...but all I can feel is the cold in the air. Everybody disappeared, leaving me alone with somebody I used to smile with. But life is so fleeting that they should have guessed something like this would have happened. No amount of flowers could make rotting fish smell appealing. No amount of scrubbing could destroy the red paint decorating the halls of the childhood home._

_No matter what you sacrifice, nothing will erase your sins from this world. No amount of vicious stab wounds can wash away your past. _

Time grinds to a halt. Although he no longer exists in this world, Saitou Katatake has become the most important person in this entire spaceship. The walls painted red with his blood, taunting us about a future we might all eventually face. In the distance, a faint ticking noise can be heard, as if it is teasing us about our potential doom. The Queen of Hearts will be furious that somebody painted her white roses red.

Moving silently after being frozen for a couple of seconds, Hanane investigates the crime scene like she has some experience with this field of science. It is hard to tell what she is feeling with her facing the other way and the room still being on the dark side. But this is not the time for that, for Hanane's mind might be what we need right now to survive. I may consider myself logical but I have no experience in most sciences, especially forensics. Doing anything without instruction can severely derail the investigation, so it is best to ask Hanane. Out of everybody, she is most trustworthy in this field, since the only scientists on board are in fields entirely different from criminal forensics. Considering Ryoichi walked past me covered in what can be assumed to be Saitou's blood, that will make him our number one suspect. But something about this entire case seems odd, as nobody is dumb enough to murder somebody that they were fighting with and then think they can get away with it while covered in that person's blood. If somebody does that, they are most likely under the influence of drugs.

"Ahem! What is this!?" A stuffed bear comes storming into the room with a flashlight in his paws. Just by getting one look at him, his typical black and white color scheme, I can tell that this is Monokuma. "I get you youngsters nowadays love violence but this is a whole new level of thrill, chill, and kills! And how did you turn off all my cameras!? None of you better be breaking the rules in my glorious gym right now. Gosh, do I have to do everything for my precious bastard students?"

Only one thing is on my mind. The consequences. Is there going to be a trial? Even without everything not being set and us only being on this ship for approximately three hours, though my sense of time is questionable thanks to the time that I spent asleep. With how quick he died, it can be assumed that he has been the quickest death, except for possibly Chisa Yukizome and the others in the alternate style Killing Game. But that game has completely different rules and I highly doubt this will turn out to be the Monokuma Hunter style. Though there is probably somebody who has died quicker thanks to the amount of information hidden about these games by the Committee and even somewhat the True Despairs. If the game is considered a failure, even the True Despairs will react as if it never existed in the first place.

Looking over to Hanane, I notice that she is glaring at Monokuma. With the intensity, there has to be something more going on here. Most would try to hide their emotions or react in fear, but Hanane's emotions are still hard to describe even when she is more emotive.

"You know what, screw it! I'm going to make you bastard children go through a trial! Teach you a lesson! I don't get paid enough for constantly having to-"

"I'm afraid I can't let you hurt any of my friends, Monokuma! That's not nice!" Appearing from the hallway with a skip with his step, the mysterious gray-haired man from before enters the room. This time he noticeably doesn't have the girl that looks like Ayano with him. "Our fun from our last meeting was sadly cut short! But oh how I want to show you my love!" He starts to drool, which makes me take a step back. Hanane immediately walks over to me and takes what looks like to be a defensive stance.

"Tch, not him," Hanane mutters.

"What!? How did you get in here!?" Despite being a robot, Monokuma begins to sweat. Whoever created this technology must have added a function to make such a feat possible, though it is dangerous having liquid stored inside a machine like the bear. "My beautiful bear self wasn't informed of such things happening! Do we have to restart..._again_!?" I commend whoever is doing the acting of Monokuma or made his AI, but I start to see him slip out of his usual persona.

"No, I need to finish delivering my love to you! So you can finally know real compassion!" Although this conversation is very interesting, I find it odd that nobody is paying attention to the body in the room. Some of Saitou's blood is starting to dry up which is odd since a lot of blood still looks fresh. Perhaps that is blood from earlier on in the fight? It could even be Seina's blood since Seina could have been hiding some of her injuries. Though the theory with Seina starts holding less water since there is no way somebody close to her would overlook such a detail. Mei is here, and, although she is annoying, she has a supposed attachment to her perceived friends. But the last time I saw Mei was alone, so maybe Seina found a way to hide it because of her not wanting others to know or some other illogical train of thought. Or somebody else could have been attacked before or after the incident with Seina.

Taking more steps back while still trying to keep my attention on the boy and Monokuma, I eventually go over to where Saitou's body is. Monokuma's flashlight makes it a lot easier to see all of the smaller details. Saitou's weapons are nowhere to be seen, and, from my brief glimpse of Ryoichi, I do not remember him having them. Maybe they are in a part of the room still hidden in the darkness? I may not have a lot of knowledge about scars but the wounds on Saitou do not match up what the weapon did with Seina. But Seina was attacked by a different part of the kusarigama so that information is unreliable.

"Shiro...um, no _Amari_, I see that you're being a responsible adult. Oh, how people like you tramp over the hopes and dreams of people that actually matter. Nobody gives a shit about music nowadays, especially yours-"

_"Nothing we do will ever make a change in this world, especially your music. So let's fuck the world and teach the Committee who's boss. Come with us, and we'll show you the truth of everything~"_

"You piece of shit." I cannot stop myself from saying something so reckless. People here swear way too much, especially for teenagers, and do not know the consequences of continuing that kind of behavior. However, it takes all of my willpower to not run-up to the man and punch Monokuma in the face. Monokuma only stares dumbfoundead as the man walks past him as if there is something wrong with his code. Hanane, seeing that there is an opening, runs out of the room. Hopefully, she can get the others in the gymnasium so they can put a stop to this madness. Most would be furious with the abandonment but, then again, many of the people I am unfortunate enough to be surrounded with know nothing about the true world.

But I still want to punch this new guy in the fucking face.

"I forgot to introduce myself to you, Amari! And Monokuma already knows everything about me. So hi, I'm Aito or Aiko or Ai, whatever you prefer. Names mean nothing anyway! But I guess if you want to know my true full name or something like that I'm Aito Watanabe! I look forward to becoming friends with you!" Aito offers one of his hands for a handshake but I do not grab it. He glares at me.

"I am not your friend. We have just met."

"Oh, I see how it is! Don't worry, we'll be friends soon enough! But if the worst does happen, I'll still love you with all of my heart! I'm not a selfish person! I love everything and everybody equally!" Aito exclaims. For a moment, I wonder if it is alright to keep the key he had given me, but perhaps it can be used as a bargaining chip later on. With people of...questionable sanity like Aito, it is good to keep as many cards up your sleeve as possible, since you can never truly predict what they want.

"Aito, get out of here! Or else I'm going to have to expel you!" Monokuma shouts, trying his hardest to get noticed. However, Aito does not pay attention to him, his green eyes still threatening me with every look he gives.

"I'm not a student here, Monokuma. You've no power over me-"

"Get out!" The bear demands.

"Aw, but can't I say hi to my dear friend Saitou again? Somebody has to celebrate his miserable existence! And I'm the only one that can remember him!" Aito clears his throat. "Saitou Katatake, the worst piece of shit I ever met...I don't feel sorry for you at all! So glad that you finally died! I hope you enjoy your time in Hell!" He giggles as he tilts his head, a smile fixed onto his face. "And see kids, this is why we don't recycle!"

"I'm pretty sure we're both older than you! And you're getting expelled!" Monokuma fumes but stays where he is. Maybe he cannot do anything because his programming doesn't have a setting for this event? Or there could be something more going on, especially since now I prefer to stay out of the drama of the Committee when I can. But I never heard Kotori talk about somebody named Aito, and, despite his grey hair, he still looks young, most likely somewhere in his late teens. If he has been causing trouble for the Committee or the True Despairs, it has to be recent.

...A part of me is finding it hard to believe that a conversation like this is happening in the same room as a dead body. My mother would berate me if I ever did something like this, yelling that it is disrespectful. With how surprisingly warm it is in the room, it seems that the process for decomposition has begun and the smell of dead bodies is something I will never get used to. There is a reason why Alice never went to the graveyards of Wonderland, filled with mass graves of bodies lazily thrown in holes and were either burned or left to slowly rot as vultures consume the last remains of their flesh. There are no such vultures here, only a bear whose sadistic smile can eat us whole. For that bear once devoured the world, leaving nothing but ash while ants seek to conquer what little life there is left.

"Still not a student~"

"Fine! As the headmaster, I'll make you a student! You're the...I don't know, the Ultimate Prankster! Now you're expelled!"

* * *

**Aito Watanabe**

**Ultimate Prankster**

* * *

"My first action as Ultimate Prankster...not listen to you!" Aito reaches into one of his pockets and pulls out what looks like an innocent ball. He starts throwing it up and down, never dropping it despite the darkness. Monokuma is seething with rage but Aito does not drop his act for even a second.

"How can those-"

"Monokuma, you don't want to spoil anything. You not saying anything about our history is better for you than me. I love you so much though so I can't allow myself to divulge the plot!" Aito smirks as he puts the ball away. Monokuma is somewhat slightly more relaxed, though he seems to still be turning red. "As my love letter to you, I'll do nothing at all now in this game. Really it'll be boring but you know the real reason why I'm here. It's not good to pretend you don't know my desires! For I'll make sure that my love-"

"I get it. Please stop talking about love-"

"Only if you stop talking about despair~" Aito does not pay attention to Monokuma as the bear punches the wall. Although, thanks to Monokuma's short size, it does hardly any damage. "I'm not as short-sided as the fools surrounding me, however! It gets me in trouble but you of all people should know I don't mind that! Despair is needed to fully understand the world that we live in! Hope and despair are not opposites! Only fools will believe the meaningless words of propaganda! Firefly might tell me otherwise but whatever." He shrugs and starts humming a simple tune that I have not heard in my life. Maybe it is something taught to him by his family or friends?

"Firefly!?"

"Of course you know who I mean my wonderful friend! Oh, how I wish to rip your cute little body into pieces!"

Trying to use the situation to my advantage, I move to get out, but Aito notices me. Before I can react, Aito yanks my arm. As he does, I scream as electricity runs through my system. It is only a small bit but it takes me off-guard. I have been through much worse before so why am I reacting this way? Maybe I have grown too used to the day-to-day grind of a composer stuck working for the Committee. Einosuke would simply call me pathetic, and Eimu...perhaps it is not best to think about such topics with the current events transpiring. I must remain in the moment otherwise much can be lost. Nothing hurts more than having all of the control forcibly taken from you.

"You can't escape that easily, Amari!" he shouts without changing his facial expressions even once. But, if I was able to escape the main Amari household, I highly doubt Aito can hold me for long. It is arrogant to assume such things, especially since Aito may have a lot of tricks but no muscle. All somebody has to do is remove him from all of his...gear...and he should be no problem. Somebody this insane probably will not be able to create a good enough strategy without all of these assumed fancy gadgets. Insanity and despair are different after all, even though nobody wants to admit to that fact. Crime still happens without the existence of despair, hope, or any other buzz words the government and cults throw around. Human beings are naturally horrible creatures who disguise our wicked desires with technology, ignoring the fact that we are the eternal plague that the planet can never truly destroy. Without us, the world would be whole and healthy, instead of dying a pathetic, slow death.

"I got to report this!" Monokuma waddles away quickly, leaving me with Aito. Although I only know about Monokuma thanks to stories told to me by not reliable sources, I know that this behavior is odd. But then again, Monokuma probably assumed that nothing like this would transpire, yet you should always prepare for any situation no matter how absurd it may seem. Surely with all of the Killing Games before, the True Despairs ran into a situation like this, but maybe they are starting to lose their touch thanks to their cockiness.

"Bye-bye, friend! Hope you trip and die!" Aito finally lets go of me. Instead of running, I stay, watching his movements very carefully. Perhaps this will be a good time to get some more answers. There might be video cameras around but maybe the confusion will make whoever is behind this not to focus on us. That could be seen as wishful thinking, but they do have better things to be focusing on. Maybe they are trying to create the investigation and Truth Bullets, or finish up the remaining touches on the Trial Room. Most despairs refuse to think with logic, but some do, leading to them being the ones in charge. Otherwise, the True Despairs would have easily be wiped out already. Many downplay the intelligence of Junko Enoshima until her final moments, for her only true downfall was her obsession with despair. Without that obsession clouding her judgment, she would have easily won the entire world.

"What is the meaning of-"

"You can't talk about that here, Amari! You're going to cause us to die! You can die happy, but I got shit to do." Aito returns his focus back to Saitou. Maybe it would be better to try to appeal to his line of thinking? After all, nobody with a brain cell tries to use the laws of the real world to control the delusions of fantasy.

"Then...can you give me a hint?" I ask him. To my disappointment, Aito shakes his head.

"Alas, the Master knows all those riddles and tricks! I'm not stupid enough to try to get anything past her~" Aito goes up to Saitou and sits in front of him. To my surprise, although this really should not get me off guard anymore, Aito pulls out a knife and begins to stab Saitou. Because that could possibly hinder the investigation, I run up to Aito to try to stop him, but all he has to do is face my direction with that twisted smile and I stop in my tracks. All the wounds start to transform into another piece of so-called art. Saitou's body is being maimed for the sake of the vision of a selfish artist who cares not of who they destroy to get their perfect image out there.

"Why are you doing this?" I question Saitou, perhaps against my better judgment. Better to stay silent after all. Maybe with Aito focusing on stabbing Saitou's body, I can finally find a way to get out of this room. This room reminds me too much of a prison, with the walls threatening to swallow us all up whole. With every passing second, the lights become dimmer and dimmer, in desperate need of a change of light bulbs.

"To show my love, silly!"

"What is your love?" Love is such a fickle concept. It is something that does not exist but surrounds us all, plaguing our minds with the delusion of true romance and soulmates. My mother claimed to love Einosuke but even a toddler can see that is nothing but a lie meant to comfort a mind already being broken to pieces. Since Einosuke does love us all, only if we prove useful for him and stay loyal no matter what he does. The only reason I am not dead is because of my talent with music, how music has spoken to me like no human ever can. Humans are deceitful creatures, but music cannot ever lie since it has no mind of its own. Music is the only comfort of this world.

"Haha, it wouldn't be love if it can be explained!" Afterward, we can both taken off guard with two women entering the room, one of them making her presence known as she stunts into the room while the other stays behind her, her face mostly hidden by the phone that she is playing on. Both of them are oddly familiar, though for some reason their white hair seems wrong.

"Aito, did you kill somebody? This has to be recorded!" The more outgoing one smiles with her possible friend still being too absorbed by her phone to care.

"No, this doesn't count! Saitou was already dead."

"Aw." The woman takes out a notebook and writes something down, her hand being so fast it is hard to notice it there in the first place. "I would've tried to sneak up on you but these floorboards are so creaky. Not even the Ultimate Spy can manage such a feat. Trust me, I met her and she's a bitch."

"Etsuko, the protagonist is here. You should focus on him. Aito is what we call... a useless side character."

"Yes, call me that more Emilynn!" Aito stops stabbing the body and looks...uh, blissed out. This feels wrong. But maybe with him being distracted by those kinds of thoughts, we might have more of a body to help solve this mystery.

"No," Emilynn clicks her tongue. "You got to achieve ten more friendship points to unlock that kind of relationship."

"You wound me! Do it more!"

"Well, salutations, old sport!" Etsuko comes up to me and slaps me hard on the back. "I'm Dr. Etsuko Abe. Pleasure meeting you again!" I would remember meeting somebody like Etsuko but it does not seem correct to point that out. Perhaps because Kotori had a weird fixation on Etsuko since she was the one that the Committee truly wanted. Even after Kotori's years of research for them, they wanted somebody that must have been a child or a young teenager at the time. The only reason why Kotori had any true power in the Committee is because of Etsuko declining the offer. There would have been so many lives saved if Etsuko could have predicted the true consequences of her selfish actions, or maybe Etsuko would not want the world to change from its current miserable state.

"I am not that much older than you," I correct her. Who uses the term old sport nowadays anyway?

"Haha, guess we're both adults!" Etsuko then pulls out what looks like an audio recorder from one of the pockets of her lab coat. Looking around the room, I realize that Aito is still doing nothing and Emilynn is still enriched by her phone. "So Shiro have anything to say?"

"How do you know my name?" I should have asked that sooner but everybody in this room is eccentric. They all do not react whatsoever to the dead body as an average person could. There are so many questions going through my head that will most likely never be answered.

"Gasp! Everybody should know the name of Shiro Amari! The Ultimate Composer! Savior of the Amari family!"

"I am not the savior of anything," I argue. Etsuko beams as she puts her audio recorder away. But, now that I am realizing it, Etsuko never stated her talent, though it most likely has something to do with research. It could not be Ultimate Researcher since the Committee hates duplicating talents and will only do so when needed, even if the title is being taken by an Honorary Ultimate on the other side of one of their many rivalries. "What is your talent anyway?"

"I'm the Super High School Level Psychologist!" What the fuck.

* * *

**Etsuko Abe**

**Super High School Level (?) Psychologist**

* * *

Super...high school level. That is not a term I have heard in such a long time. There is no way Etsuko got it from Yoshi, so maybe she knew Yoshi from before or somebody else is using the term. Perhaps one of the many rebellion groups? But something about Etsuko makes me certain she is not a part of any of those. Etsuko, however, should be considered a threat, because everything about her feels off but right at the same time. Maybe Etsuko can instill these conflicting emotions because of her mastery of psychology.

Etsuko has long, straight white hair held together in a messy braid. She wears her braid to the left side, showing off her ribbon that clashes with everything since its design look straight out of a video game. Almost matching her hair, Etsuko's skin is pale, looking almost sickly. In the olden times, many would accuse Etsuko of something ridiculous like being a vampire. Humanity judges on the surface level because most people refuse to see beyond their misconceptions for their own personal gain. No human truly cares for another, or else they're naive. Other humans exist to be tools, Etsuko would know that well thanks to her status as a psychologist. Anyway, Etsuko is taller than I thought, being around the five foot, eight inches range, or maybe her black heels just make her look that way. What truly strikes me as odd is her red eyes, for that is not a common feature in this world. Rumors state, and even Kotori, that those with red eyes are either cursed or went through something worse than death. Etsuko's red eyes are alluring, sharply contrasting over the dull colors of her face. With how bright the red is, children would think her eyes could possibly glow in the dark, maybe lighting their way to freedom from this world.

For Etsuko's top, she wears a see-through white dress shirt, revealing her purple tank top underneath. She wears a lab coat that is strangely colored black with the right side being off her shoulder. On this coat, there are pockets that are clearly filled with all kinds of items. Only part of her dress shirt, and all of her tank top, is tucked into her trousers which are clearly made for men but I do not think Etsuko cares. Etsuko wears a worn-down black belt. Attached to one of her belt loops, there is a silver star charm. Her hands are covered with purple gloves that match her tank top. Lastly, Etsuko wears thin black-rimmed glasses that have little cracks in them. Those must be harder to see through than not wearing glasses; she should get them replaced soon.

"Admiring my appearance? Any more and you'll have to become one of my test subjects. I'll treat you with care, 'kay?" Etsuko winks at me. I repress my urge to groan. Why is everybody involved with being the head of research for the Committee so obsessed with experiments? Sure, it is part of the job, but there are other responsibilities. The current head at least is not flaunting his research all over the place in a sad attempt to impress others, which probably ends up with nobody wanting to hang out with them. One of the reasons why Kotori had so many relationships with her experiments is because nobody else but that goddamn idiot would ever spend time with her. But that idiot gave me hope that Kotori would keep her promises, which I should have known were made out of nothing but plastic. That goddamn idiot probably felt some pity at first, since many not involved with Committee politics would see Kotori as an eccentric scientist and nothing more. The Committee understandably did not want news of the Personality Experiments to ever become public.

If news of the true Committee ever reached the likes of a neutral country like Canada or Thailand, they would team up with the other neutrals and rebellion groups to finally destroy the Committee. But, for now, most countries are defending their own land while allowing the Committee to destroy the lives of the people trapped underneath their thumb. Or maybe Canada is finally doing something since Tahlia Catherine King is here. Considering the current landscape of Canada, Tahlia would have to use one of their secret passageways, or somehow make her own, to make it outside Canada and somehow make her way to Japan. But I would not trust the world of Tahlia since she reminds me a lot of Etsuko, a wild card. But Tahlia is much more approachable than Etsuko, and-

"Sure," Emilynn replies while rolling her eyes. She then faces me. "You sure think a lot more than usual."

"Me? A wild card? Did you accidentally say that out loud?" Etsuko grins. If I am beginning to say things out loud, I should pay more attention to my surroundings. But I cannot stop my logical analysis or else there is a chance that I will miss something. Even with me thinking so hard, the feeling of not being able to solve anything is leaving me sort of frustrated.

"To show you, my love, I'll allow you to do anything to my body, oh great Etsuko Abe!" Aito stretches his arm weirdly towards Etsuko and she laughs it off.

"People call me the weirdo. Let's see how they react to you!"

"You're both weirdos," Emilynn responds. "But Etsuko also is best girl. She beats Aito." Afterward, Emilynn actually puts her phone down and looks over to me with her kinda dead eyes that remind me of fish. "Introductions, huh? KK. Emilynn McKay. Super High School Level Lucky Student. I want a refund that ain't my talent."

* * *

**Emilynn McKay**

**Super High School Level (?) Lucky Student**

* * *

Like Etsuko, Emilynn has long white hair (though Emilynn's is down and wavy) and red eyes. They are clearly not siblings, everything about their facial and body structures is different other than they are skinny and too pale, so there is most likely something else going on that I do not want the details about. I know too much about Kotori's experiments to be considered sane by the majority of the populace. Emilynn's outfit is much more simple than Etsuko's. She wears a purple hoodie sweater that looks more like a dress thanks to how big it is on her. Because of her sweater being a v-neck, Emilynn's red undershirt is showing. Underneath Emilynn wears black leggings that have little holes in them that go to halfway down her calf. Like Etsuko, Emilynn wears gloves, but these are instead red. Matching her gloves is Emilynn's sneakers, which are also worn down. It is hard to notice Emilynn's white socks due to them almost blending in with her skin. Then I realize that it seems like Emilynn is wearing the same glasses as Etsuko without any of the cracks.

"Don't mind any of us. All Ultimates are insane in some twisted way. Guess talent makes people go off the deep end." Etsuko shrugs. As she does so, I notice a rat crawl out from her lab jacket. "Oh Ratscal, you're saying hi! Say hello to my number two buddy." That must not be sanitary. Keeping a rat these days is only inviting illness to you. Since the Tragedy, there have not been many pet rats, with the few remaining being considered illegal. With how many of my classmates casually breaking the law, it must be a miracle for them that we are in space. Otherwise, Hope's Peak would erase our class from history and there is a good chance that all of them would be dead. Such a waste, but the Committee has always been quick to eliminate non-threats.

"I got a talent now! Prankster-"

"That's it. The world is gonna end again." Emilynn takes steps away from Aito and towards Saitou's corpse. She could probably have a corpse land on her and not react to it. "It was nice knowing you all."

"I won't let anything bad happen to you, Emilynn. After all, we're both still alive!" Etsuko grins at me, with a knowing look in her eyes. Though I do not understand anything that is going on so perhaps this is a joke for the younger crowd or those who use social media.

"I already got expelled so don't worry! I'm going to be crashing all your classes! Since everybody needs a true teacher-"

"Let's get out of here before another long monologue! Already got recordings of all of those. Later~" Etsuko grabs onto Aito and starts to drag him by his shirt collar. Aito does not seem to mind at all.

"Leaving just as we're introduced? But that's so boring," Emilynn sighs. "We should further the plot or something-"

"There's a dead guy. I think we're fine! Oh, I just can't wait and see how everybody reacts to everything!" Etsuko leaves the room with Aito. Maybe with only Emilynn in the room, there is a chance that I will finally be able to leave.

Emilynn suddenly grabs onto my hand, which takes me entirely off guard. She does not strike me as the type of person to seek out physical contact so immediately. "That's weird." Maybe we have been transported to another world and the Ultimates are considered normal since I do not see Hope's Peak hiring this many unique personalities. Especially a McKay. It took me a while to fully realize because of the shock of everything else, and Emilynn not having the singular blonde hair, but this girl is definitely one of the Committee's greatest enemies. What is Kirigiri thinking of allowing somebody this dangerous to their reputation on their school grounds? Kirigiri should know that the McKays mostly focus on criticizing the Committee's education and this is only going to give them more evidence. Even if Shun is the one behind this, Kirigiri should have stopped him because she has more power over him. Is Kirigiri now so obsessed with talent that she is willing to bring in traitors inside of her school?

"I don't care," Emilynn shrugs her shoulders. Is she perhaps too young to be interested in politics? Or maybe she is being used by her family as a pawn? I do not know much about the McKays so they could be much like some more cold-hearted rebellions. "You think too much. Aren't protagonists supposed to be more impulsive?"

"Being impulsive would only lead to an early death," I answer.

"You're right. Protagonists have a bad habit of dying."

However, humanity is often impulsive which leads to more suffering in the end. After all, the creation of the Committee could have been stopped if the Future Foundation thought through their actions more. Alas, humanity as a whole will always only see things in the short term. Even the Committee, since they did not realize how much people would fight back against their oppression. If I was the Committee, I would find a way to steal away power from the people slowly, as the frog will allow itself to be cooked alive if somebody heats up their luxury prison at the right speed, and then pin the blame on somebody else if anybody ever figures out what is happening. Maybe the True Despairs could serve that purpose but the Master is much too smart to allow herself to be manipulated by the Irvings. Perhaps it is time for Wendy and Sasha Irving to give their power to their daughter and manipulate her actions, or maybe the secret second heir that there have been so many conspiracy theories about.

"Tbh I'm glad you're not crazy."

For humanity to truly break the cycle of endless wars and tragedies, they must learn to truly see through the looking glass. Find a future where the gardens are not littered with red but instead green, restoring the world from this pitiful wasteland to its former glory. But the true enemy, the Jabberwocky, will always threaten normality, never peace since that will never truly exist. The poem is the essence of truth yet a lie all the same. Nothing is ever black and white, and who that think so can only be described as fools. I remember my mother telling me the story back when there were lights in her eyes.

_'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves_

_Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:_

_All mimsy were the borogoves,_

_And the mome raths outgrabe._

_"Beware the Jabberwock, my son!_

_The jaws that bite, the claws that catch!_

_Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun_

_The frumious Bandersnatch!"_

_He took his vorpal sword in hand;_

_Long time the manxome foe he sought—_

_So rested he by the Tumtum tree_

_And stood awhile in thought._

_And, as in uffish thought he stood,_

_The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame,_

_Came whiffling through the tulgey wood,_

_And burbled as it came!_

_One, two! One, two! And through and through_

_The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!_

_He left it dead, and with its head_

_He went galumphing back._

_"And hast thou slain the Jabberwock?_

_Come to my arms, my beamish boy!_

_O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!"_

_He chortled in his joy._

_'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves_

_Did gyre and gimble in the wabe:_

_All mimsy were the borogoves,_

_And the mome raths outgrabe._

"Are you sure you aren't the Ultimate Poet?" Realizing that Emilynn is still there, I question how much she heard. Emilynn once again has her phone out and playing a game. "Whatever. I'm bored. TTYL." And just like that, Emilynn leaves. That was surprisingly uneventful. So now that I find myself alone with a dead body, I decided that this will be a good time to investigate. But I have no idea how investigation looks so all the meaningful information I can gather is that Saitou has been stabbed a lot. Forensic science is simply not needed when learning how to become a composer. It would only be a waste of time, though I should have calculated the risk of being forced into a Killing Game. After all, the True Despairs have an obsession with these, even with non-human participants. From what I have heard, one of the Ultimate Despairs was a breeder and had a love for all animals, so they created a Killing Game with millions of dogs that many are still trying to emulate today. It's a special kind of evil to target one of the pure things left on this abysmal planet.

With Aito gone, perhaps I can get in contact with Hanane again. I do not have any idea where she went, however, which means it would be the most logical to make my way to the gymnasium.

Opening the door, I look around the hallway to see whether or not anybody has remained there. It is completely empty. Though I can continue exploring the other rooms to see if there are any more people left behind, that would only be a waste of time. With the possibility of death, it is always best to not be alone while in a public setting. With Saitou's actions, no wonder he got killed. I have no sympathy for such idiotic actions, even if others would argue that they were noble. Saving others means nothing if you cannot save yourself. What can you hope to achieve if you are already dead? Not everybody can be like Junko and live beyond their death, billions of people have been completely forgotten by history. Even the big names of fifty years ago only live on nowadays because of reckless historians going against the will of the Committee. They want to erase all struggle from history. The world must always be perfect in the eyes of the elite.

This is no time to think about philosophy, so I head to the gymnasium.

* * *

Entering the gymnasium, I can already see that everybody is setting up their little groups. This is extremely dangerous since we do not know each other and, although it has been a few hours (possibly more since I was knocked out), there is no way that people can learn the truth about a person in that time frame. Nobody can ever find out how another person is truly thinking, all we can ever do is make educated guesses. Even your closest allies can betray you for their own personal gain. The person you are making small talk to one minute can end up stabbing you in the next. Because that is how the world works. One thing can be said about the Killing Games, they reveal the truth about a person. That everybody is selfish and only cares about themselves. There are the killers who murder their allies for only their own gain and their so-called allies who put them to death without a single feeling of remorse. Any sympathy people feel is them deluding themselves so they can sleep better drowning in their own fake tears.

In the middle of the court, Ichiko is still trying to work on her personal project while Renkou and Kaimaru try to convince Keiji and Choumi to do some stretches with them. However, Kobi is glaring down at Pon-chan, who unusually is standing her ground. Sachiko is trying to break apart the standstill, apologizing to Keiji nonstop, with Osamu watching over her still. Distracting Keiji and Choumi from Renkou and Kaimaru, there is Osamu also somehow pushing their own buttons. Something about Osamu makes him annoying even when he is not saying anything. There is much chaos in the group, even more, when Keiji tries to return Kobi to his original spot on his head but Kobi gives him attitude.

Another group is sitting on the edge of the stage, with them not being able to go behind the curtain this time. Fubuki now has her mask, making her express herself more freely with Natsuki and Kitsu. Fubuki is standing on the edge and almost falls down because of her exaggerated movements, but Kitsu catches her just in time. The two of them try to convince Natsuki to jump onto the stage with them but the last of their trio refuses. Though Fubuki does not care as she does a laugh that is supposed to be threatening but is really not and has Kitsu help her drag Natsuki on the stage. Finding something off, I look around the gymnasium and do not see Jun anywhere.

Seina seems to have healed from her encounter with Ryoichi and is now forming another group without Mei, who is also absent presumably still with Ayumu. Ayumu is stuck in his own cursed fate for being too nice. The game master is joined with Mizore, Tahlia, and Suzunami. The four of them together are most likely making jokes. Those jokes are an unforgivable mistake. But all of them are smiling so, as long as they keep their jokes to themselves, the world won't explode thanks to them having the worst sense of humor humanly imaginable. To have a true sense of humor you must not make me want to bash my head into a wall. If there was ever an Ultimate Comedian, they would give up on ever accomplishing anything because of the despair those four would bring them. Their little group is seated in a circle in the middle of the left side of the bleachers.

The last group is Himura, Yuu, Yuki, Sora, and Chika. They seem to be just talking on the right side of the bleachers. Yuki is on the top shouting down at everybody who decided to sit next to each other at the bottom. It seems like the rest of the group is playfully chatting with each other while ignoring whatever speech Yuki made for them. Or maybe they cannot hear her. In the corner of the gym, I notice that Ryoichi is standing by himself studying the group with a strange lack of emotion on his face.

Last but not least, the last person currently in the gym is Asuka, who is currently running towards me.

"Hey, Shiro! Are you still doing okay? Because we're going to figure out a way out of here together!" Asuka's happiness is already bugging me. With a situation like this, a leader should not be wearing a smile. She must be made aware of how truly dire this is.

"Saitou is dead."

"...What?" Asuka freezes in place, face darkening, before awkwardly laughing. "I don't know who this Saitou is but this joke really isn't funny Shiro. Didn't take you for a prankster type."

"He's not joking and I'm furious at you all!" The curtain opens, causing Fubuki to jump and Kitsu and Natsuki to quickly jump off. Though Fubuki stays, causing her to be right next to a fuming Monokuma. "You guys have already killed someone and it's not even a Killing Game. Oh yeah, there was supposed to be this super cool and awesome introduction, with fireworks and everything, but I'm not awarding you or the crew with that because somebody is dead! I get that you guys are supposed to kill each other but we're not ready for trials yet! We're still setting up the goddamn Trial Room! Do you know how difficult it is to set everything up..._in space!? _And now all of my higher-ups are yelling at me...I don't fucking care if not everybody is here yet! They can see the reactions later!" Monokuma is talking so fast that it is hard to comprehend his words, but everybody gets the meaning of two. Two I knew that was coming: Killing Game.

Ichiko stops her writing and focuses solely on Monokuma. She is driven and starts to sketch out the Monokuma and comparing him to another drawing she has of him in her notes. Renkou looks shocked and does not seem to realize that a Kaimaru with a much paler face is clinging onto his arm for comfort. Keiji (who now has Kobi back on his head) jumps in front of Sachiko and Choumi, with Osamu battling for his spot with Sachiko. Choumi does not look impressed, in fact, she even yawns. She is not phased whatsoever when Keiji starts growling at Monokuma. On the other hand, Sachiko yelps at the sudden strange behavior, visibly shaking as she hugs onto Pon-chan tightly.

Seina is keeping a calm head, with her body language being clear about her want to question Monokuma. Tahlia punches the bleachers she is sitting on, causing Suzunami to move farther away from her. Other than that, Suzunami is not really paying attention to Monokuma, being off in xyr own world, which seems like a good way to get killed off real quick. Mizore tilts her head and starts talking what I assume is nonsense since she also seems to be resorting to the comforting world of her imagination other than reality. With the announcement, Ryoichi shifts his attention to Seina, leaving me with a sense of unease. His facial expression is oddly serious with his somewhat goofy appearance.

Himura is reacting much the same way as Seina, acting as a pillar for his current group. Yuki rushes over to her brother and starts hugging him tightly, but he does not care even as it seems that his sister is almost suffocating him. Yuu is much more invested in Monokuma, with him biting his lip and trying to take deep breaths that are interrupted with his sister constantly screaming. Sora is being comforted by both Himura and Chika, though Chika still looks like she is uncertain about what to think about Himura and Sora attempts to get away from the other man...which is making me question why he was hanging out with him before the announcement.

Natsuki is completely frozen in fear. Kitsu is still right by her, laughing even though his face has noticeably paled. He is also trying to convince Fubuki off the stage. Though Fubuki stays on, with the expression being unreadable thanks to her mask. Asuka cleans up her act, and, although she is glaring daggers at Monokuma, I can tell her she has regained some of her composure.

All of them are fools, however. Making their emotions cloud their judgment. If anything, they should have cared more about being in space than being in a Killing Game. There is always a chance of survival in these games if you follow the rules and logic, for somebody with a mind such as I would never fall victim to any of the True Despair's plans. With space, however, only two of us have knowledge about that, and I highly doubt Sora and Chika have been trained to become astronauts. Simply put, space is much more likely to kill us than other humans until everybody realizes how dangerous this setting truly is. And the fact that our captors most definitely have the knowledge to make sure they survive if we ever plan an escape or rebellion. It is better to give in to their wishes, give up your freedom, and survive to see another day than to be brutally tortured, brainwashed, forced to destroy everything you love, returned back to your previous state, and watch the whole world burn while you long for the sweet release of death.

At that moment, the door opens, causing everybody but Suzunami and Mizore turn their attention towards it. To my surprise, only Leonie and Rokuro appear. Though the last time I saw them they headed into the gymnasium, they could have possibly been forced to scout once again. Asuka is the one making the decisions here clearly so I wonder why she would choose the two of them and not have everybody work together until everybody was found. Perhaps Asuka is not that good of a leader, makes sense since she is still a teenager, and needs some work with her skills that do not involve volleyball.

"What did we miss?" Rokuro asks. He is met with silence and Leonie deciding whether or not she should run out of the room or silence him. "Jeez, tough crowd."

"You're going to murder each other in a Killing Game!" Monokuma announces once again. Rokuro is taken back for a moment but then returns to his usual smile. Leonie starts to inch back to the door with a tremor in her step.

"That's not a fun joke-"

"Now stay quiet! Or I'm going to...argh! I already have a migraine!" Monokuma starts to pull out parts of his artificial fur after he interrupts Rokuro. However, there are already the seeds of rebellion starting to take form. The five main trouble makers are already showing themselves to their captors. These idiots are going to get killed. Asuka, Keiji, Choumi (who may look like she may not give a crap but she is close to Keiji so it's more like she's stuck there), Seina, and Tahlia. Bye idiots, good thing I already knew not to get too close to you. But Monokuma better not hurt the dog.

"Fuck you, Committee scum!" Tahlia shouts.

"What are the rules to this game, Monokuma?" Seina questions. "And what's the true reason for not waiting for everyone? Mei Yamazaki isn't here and many others. Don't try to fool me with excuses!"

"You won't hurt another person! Woof!" Keiji then returns to his dog growling. He tries to motion Kobi to do the same but the dog does not listen. The dog is probably the smartest animal in this room besides me.

"That's it. We're all gonna die because of a stupid dog cosplayer, a wannabe wizard, and a mad scientist." I may not be able to clearly see Choumi's face but I can imagine that she is rolling her eyes.

"Alright let me list all the ways that you've fucked up. One, why the fuck would I do what the Committee wants? Two, why the fuck would I do what the Committee wants!? Three, _fuck you_!" Tahlia continues to condemn herself even further. Suzunami once again breaks out of xyr's trance to move closer to Mizore.

"We're never going to give in!" Asuka declares to Monokuma, pointing her finger towards him.

"Fine." Monokuma yawns. In a moment, the whole atmosphere changes. I do not have enough time to see what comes from the ceiling until it gets shot down. There is then a scream. A scream that could have been easily avoided if people kept their mouth shut.

"Ah!"

"See? All gonna die." Choumi crosses her arms.

"Shit-"

"Silence, Tahlia! Or you're next! Now, lemme get on with my speech otherwise she'll bleed to death. And we don't want that! And don't even try to help her or you'll be next!" Monokuma watches with sadistic glee as his victim falls to the ground. Asuka cannot take her eyes off of the giant spear that is now stabbed into her right thigh. There is a lot of blood but she will be fine for the ceremony as long as Monokuma hurries up and she does not get the spear out of her leg. None of us have any medical knowledge that I know of so her best chance is with the captors. With Killing Games, they generally like to keep the participants alive until they get the chance to kill each other, so our captors must have training for emergency situations such as these.

"Shiro, we have to talk later." Surprised by the sudden whisper in my ear, I turn around to see Hanane. She must have been so quiet that nobody noticed her open the door, or maybe she was hiding somewhere in the gym. Part of me wants to question her more, but, before I can do so, Hanane walks away. Creating a scene by chasing after her will not help any of us, especially with what just happened to Asuka. But with Hanane being here, all that remain missing are Mei, Ayumu, Emilynn, Etsuko, Aito, and Jun. There could be more but I highly doubt it. Keeping track of everybody is hard enough with thirty-one new faces to memorize. With the elimination of Saitou, however, that number is already down to thirty.

"Now, which one of you killed Saitou Katatake. Or do we have to hold a Class Trial this early? If we've to do like a pre-Class Trial, I'm going to kill you all."

"I did." Ryoichi then moves from his hiding spot and into the middle of the gym, right in front of Keiji's group. The demonologist then throws down his kusarigama that is covered in blood.

"...WHAT!?" Monokuma screeches.

"I murdered Saitou Katatake." Looking over to Seina, I notice that is when she breaks, biting down her lip as she uses her hand to protect her neck. But I cannot believe that a murderer would so freely admit to their wrongdoings. There is no way that this would ever be allowed to be that easy.

"..."

"..."

"...Urgh..." Asuka continues to struggle on the ground. To be honest, I am impressed that she is still conscious and not screaming in pain. Maybe her career in sports has made her more resistant to pain.

"I'm going to punish you just for that! You miserable student! Ryoichi Homura, you're going to be expelled from life!" Monokuma charges up to Ryoichi who does not respond.

"...Ryoichi Homura? No, my name is...Ryusuke Yamamoto..."

* * *

**Ryusuke Yamamoto**

**Ultimate Demonlogist**

* * *

Monokuma is about to make it to Ryoichi before somebody blocks his way. There really does not have to be any more people involved in this Killing Game than there already are. But I have a bad feeling that this is not everybody. Following feelings is stupid but these are at least informed by facts.

"I'm the one who doesn't get paid enough for this shit." A girl strangely dressed up as Monokuma yawns. "You've failed. The Master is bored with you." Just like that, the mysterious woman takes out a gun and shoots into Monokuma. "Don't you dare think I'm on your side. I'm just here to help with the new introduction. My days of running Killing Games are far behind me. Anyway, anybody who displeases the Master deserves to be punished. Yadda, yadda."

Keiji is about to move to protect...Ryusuke...but the girl points a gun to Choumi, stopping him immediately. Everybody tries to process this newfound information but this is not the best time to be thinking about such things. Our survival is most important and there is no telling what these insane people will do if we dare plan how to deal with everything at the moment.

"You're going to get a character makeover. Come with me." The girl reaches into her overall pockets and pulls out a remote with a red button in which she presses. And then a bunch of machine guns comes out from the ceiling. Whatever they have above the gymnasium, it must be extremely dangerous thanks to all of the weapons stored there. There is no way of possibly going there this instant, but, if those imbeciles truly desire to overthrow whoever is running this game, then their best bet is to gain access to that room and using all of that machinery, along with stealing all the tools that access it. None of that matters when your opponents can just fling you into space but there would live for possibly a couple of more seconds. Not to mention that the kidnappers, if they were smart, have some sort of system to make sure their ship does not get hijacked.

With all of us being powerless to do anything but hope that they do not decide to trigger the machine guns, we watch the woman lead Ryoi-Ryusuke to the backstage area. Although the stranger strolls past Fubuki, the ARG designer does nothing to stop her. Then the curtains close once again, but all of us are in silence except for Asuka, who is now writhing in pain.

"Hello! What's...Oh my God, what's going on!?" Mei enters the room with Ayumu behind her, still rubbing his eyes like he is about to fall asleep. That is until Ayumu realizes the situation we are in and the only reason he does not rush to Asuka's side like he clearly wants, is the machine guns. None of us know what would set them off and do not want this to be our last day here like it was Saitou Katatake's because he would try to attack the machine guns.

Finally, all of the citizens of Wonderland figure out about the cruel world they are trapped in. Unable to escape they eventually have to accept the reality of Alice! Everybody has to accept that they are stuck in a meaningless world and the only thing we can do is claim that we are better than the criminals rotting in jail and the people starving in the streets when we are the problem! Nobody would be killed if Alice accepted her place in the world beforehand, all of her friends would have kept their heads. However, this is not Wonderland, this is Oz. And everything the wizard says in Oz goes, and not even the Queen of Hearts can stop her head rolling to his pitiful feet. All of us will share the same fate but I will make sure that I outlast every single one of these people. This is a Killing Game, which means none of us can be friends since that kind of thinking will cause you to only be stabbed in the back. Stabbed and stabbed until your blood paints the yellow brick road a brilliant shade of red.

"You're all going to die. I got stuck with the idiots who can't get this right. Whatever did I do to deserve this?" Once again, the curtains open but this time there is a cat with Monokuma's color scheme. "I should introduce myself as your teacher. That's what teachers do, right? God, I need some catnip. Whatever I'm Mononeko. I don't want to be here as much as you. But yeah, most people working this job only want the goddamn paycheck and the Master's approval. I don't care less about my bastard students. That's what Monokuma calls you...and the script...I forgot to memorize the script..."

I see Pon-chan now resting on Sachiko's, who is currently trying her best not to faint, shoulders. The cat stares at where Mononeko used to be, studying the stage very closely. Of course, the source of evil happens to be a cat. Whoever is running this must be a cat person which is most likely why Pon-chan was taken from Sachiko's home very far away. I do not remember Pon-chan being here last time so what changed their minds?

Mononeko pulls out a script and then a screen pulls down, showing what the sole projector in the ocean of machine guns is broadcasting. It is a video of a spaceship that is presumably ours. "This is the ship. You all know what a spaceship is, right? I'm not here to teach you all basic science. Anyway..." The video changes to a photo of a different galaxy than ours. "This wasn't really a big point last time for some reason. I don't know, all of you seem like dumbasses. But well we're going to crashland in like six months. And there's only one escape pod so have fun with that. Only one of you is going to survive so don't go off singing about friendship and whatnot. I'm going to return to my nap...oh, wait, I still have things to do..."

Mononeko disappears backstage giving me and the others more time to process this information. This spaceship is going to kill all of us. Even with the escape pod, there is still a chance of death, since we are not given information on whether or not it has supplies or the coordinates to Earth on it. But I will rather take my chances on an airship than allow myself to die in this gilded cage. Too long I have been trapped in cages filled with the best of what humanity has too often but none of the true source of happiness: freedom. Even if I die in that escape pod, I die knowing that I at least have some time to be truly free from the shackles of the Committee. The best course of action is to kill one of my classmates, most likely Rokuro, but wait a little bit since it will be unwise to try to escape with thirty minds working together to make sure that you die. There would be chaos in their reasoning yet they can figure it out fast the moment that they decide to work together.

When Mononeko reappears, it is with...yet another person, this one a male.

"What am I doing here?" The new person asks.

"Class, meet Saitou Kurokoma. Ultimate Substitute. I can't believe it's come to this. You'll get to learn more about him and this situation later on...when I feel like it...I guess. This has already been too long."

* * *

**Saitou Kurokoma**

**Ultimate Substitute**

* * *

I cannot believe there is yet another Saitou. But this Saitou is the most average-looking person here. Saitou has short orange hair that is somewhat spiky with bangs at the front that are slightly longer on the right side, going to near-eye length, and a pair of red eyes. He also has a fair-skinned complexion and a rather slim-ish build. Honestly, he would be forgettable if it were not for his hair that looks like it belongs to a protagonist to one of the shows that my sisters used to watch with my mother. The substitute wears a pair of dark blue pants with a pair of brown Velcro sandals with a pair of white socks. He also wears a black long coat jacket with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows with a red long-sleeved shirt underneath the jacket. Lastly, he wears a blue scarf. It is a relief to see somebody so normal in this class of outlandish personalities and outfits.

"I can do the rest later. For now...guess this is in the script." Mononeko leads Saitou offstage. That moment, the machine guns on the ceiling disappear. But, before anybody in the class can do anything, there is a blinding light and then darkness.

* * *

Waking up, I take a little while to adjust to my surrounding after that absurd amount of light. Not even Kotori's cruel experiments exposed somebody's eyes to something that blinding. But, when my eyes start to take in my surroundings, I notice that I am once again in the middle of the maze in the storage room. But perhaps it would make more sense to call this place a warehouse since it only seems bigger and bigger the more times that I visit.

With me, I only notice Hanane Wada. Maybe this is a good time to question her about what she wanted to talk to me about earlier. It may not be safe to remain in a situation with two people but Hanane does not strike me as somebody who would be brash enough to attack somebody when the Killing Game just started. The rules have not been stated so it would be too reckless.

"What did you want to talk to me about, Hanane?"

"..." She stays silent, staring intensely at the floor. "Nothing."

"That does not make sense. Is it about Saitou?"

"What do you mean?" Hanane tilts her head as if she is studying me. She looks like she is about to bolt so I should choose my next words very carefully. Though I have not known Hanane for a very long time, something about this conversation feels off.

"About his murder. Ryusuke admitted to it but there has to be something more going on here. Saitou Katatake was the Ultimate Duelist so I highly doubt somebody like Ryusuke would be able to overpower him-"

"Who is Saitou Katatake?"

...That was a Blackout Light...Fuck.

* * *

**Sorry if this seems rushed but I just wanted to be fucking over with intros. And I was like...you know what, I'm going to finish this intros right now and I did. Because I hate writing intros. I hate them so much. But guys...we have done it...WE'RE OUT OF INTRO HELL! HOLY SHIT! I CAN CHANGE MY DISCORD NAME FINALLY!**

**I'm just waiting for everybody to start screaming in the Discord channel again and me evilly laughing knowing that things are only going to get worse and more mindfucky. Honestly, sometimes I wonder how I come up with this shit. DiOS makes FoD look like a walk in the park and please somebody stop me.**

**Once again, if I wrote your character wrong or anything like that, tell me and I'll improve my writing. Still getting used to everybody and this is my first time writing them as a big group. There will be a lot of scenes with them as a group later on and I'm already regretting everything.**

**(MoDE is on hiatus so it doesn't count...yet)**

**Thanks TheUnkindledHunter for Aito and PainX65 for Saitwo. Yes, I've been planning this the entire time. I got some crazy shit planned so hope you guys enjoy finally being out of Intro Hell. Once we get to the death and suffering this will update so much faster because that is how I roll. I love death.**

**There will be a poll up soon on my profile for the first batch of free time events. There are going to be a planned five of them for this chapter but, knowing me, there might be a chance it can go higher. Because I can't control myself. Help.**

**QOTC: What do you guys think of my first attempt to make my own mascot? I know we haven't gotten to see much of Mononeko yet but hopefully, she made a good first impression. I'm honestly new with this so if you guys have any pointers, I would love them.**

**Req's Rec: Danganronpa: Lights, Camera, Murder! by DancingCactuar**

**Reviews~**

**TheRoseShadow21-HANANE IS HERE AND SHIRO ALREADY IS LIKING HER EVEN THOUGH HE WON'T ADMIT IT! Shiro, you tsundere. Stop calling your children idiots we all know you love them and want to protect them. Even though you want to also murder them all. It's complicated. The siblings are like...well why are there so many of us? Ayumu needs a pay raise and I love him _proceeds to torture him with pay cuts. _Thanks so much~**

**AnonChan1-It only gets worse. So bad that Shiro says fuck multiple times. Word of God says Shiro does but he won't ever admit it to himself that he misses his mom. Shiro's mom gets explored later and you all are going to kill me. ;) Sora and Chika are precious and I'm going to torture them because I can't be trusted with cinnamon rolls. Hanane is Hanane. SHIRO'S FAMILY IS INSANE but that brother is actually quite chill Shiro give your brother a break. Leonie wants to get away from Rokuro but Asuka won't stop teaming them up together. Help them. Himura being a traitor was never confirmed but it sure is a theory many seem to have. Yuu and Himura need to do a violin battle now. Shiro just wants to finally be free of the storage room but he always finds his way back there. Nobody is going to die soon...maybe. I already got my fix with Saitou Number One. Shiro overanalyzes shit that doesn't matter but when foreshadowing comes Shiro is just like...well that probably means nothing lol. Himura is a precious cinnamon roll he would never hurt anybody. The Akahoshi twins are adorable and I love them. I just realized how similar the last names Akahoshi and Akimoto are RIP.**

**Leonie just wants Asuka to stop pairing her up with Rokuro. They aren't freezing because of Himura because the same thing happened before Himura was introduced. ;) Ryusuke went stabby stab. Saitou: killed by being a recycled character. We barely knew thee. Stop getting Akita'd Saitou, that's Akita's thing. I'm just imagining Hanane and Rokuro interacting and its hilarious so that's going to be a thing now. I'm doing quite fine for myself nowadays. :D Einosuke please stop existing. Einosuke wanted his legacy to live on...so what better way than having too many children and then abusing them? The funny thing is that Einosuke would probably hate Tetsuya. Ayumu needs more goddamn sleep and money. Ayano Kirigiri is going to die slightly differently in the audiobook and people are probably going to hate me this time around BUT NO REGRETS! SUZUNAMI CONTINUE MAKING MEMES WITH THE NEWLY FORMED MEME SQUAD! *evil laughter* This is going to be good.**

**Kotori now continues being very much dead but laughing at the theories that she's still alive. AND THEN I MADE IT FUCKING WORSE IN THE AUDIOBOOK SOMEBODY TAKE THESE CHARACTERS AWAY FROM ME! Don't worry I keep making Emu!Eimu jokes to myself and laughing in spoilers. My protagonists have negative 9999 luck. SHIP SHIP SHIP THE MEME SQUAD! SAITOU KATATAKE DOESNT MATTER ANYMORE MONONEKO MADE CERTAIN OF THAT! Whenever people react weird Kotori probably has something to do with it. Because of course, she does. HERE'S SOME MORE KOBI CONTENT! Shiro is the one dad who tries to pretend he doesn't care but shows up to all of his children's activities. I swear Etsuko has the sixth sense too especially because she got Kaneki Ken'd. REQ YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssssss**

**BIBOTOT-Well we're going to stick with this current cast for some time so, hopefully, they get enough time to shine for the readers to all get to know them better. Thanks so much, I take way too much time writing my poems for Shiro. Shiro is like...the mascot is a cat, of course, this proves my theory that all of them are evil! I love cats too and Survivor!Akita is keeping her cat far away from him. Osamu doesn't believe Shiro deserves his respect because of his age, you got to either earn Osamu's respect or pay him. Because he's Osamu.**


	7. Despair in Our Stars First Opening

**Opening-Waltz of Anomalies**

* * *

An innocent child in a white dress with long raven hair picks flowers in a field of red roses, with the only other object of importance being a large willow tree in the center. Their hair is long and falls gracefully to the ground when it is picked up a figure that is only a white outline like everybody else in this cruel world that is not important to the eyes of the all-seeing. More white figures appear around the garden of flowers and blood, dancing with piano wire controlling their movements, the only thing visible about them being their twisted smiles while their limbs fall off and add even more scarlet to the evergrowing collection. However, the child is not disturbed, playing with themself with a stranger messing around with their beautiful, silky hair.

When all of the other figures fall down with their twisted smiles, however, the sky once lite up with pretty stars darkens as fog settles in. The other figure is no longer just a white outline, with only their back being visible with brunette hair and a long white lab coat somehow not sainted with the blood surrounding the two of them. Without another word, the figure leaves, causing the child to be all alone. But they still collect more roses, their fingers becoming bloodied by all of the thorns.

Suddenly, the stars return, making the child stare at them. But the child is no longer innocent, now growing up to become a man. The stars do not stop him from his quest of picking all the flowers, however. They spell out words in the sky as if they are seeking to guide the lost souls to something better than their lives of constant red and white.

**The Despair in Our Stars**

Right afterward, the stage disappears, only leaving rose petals and the void. The man falls down the void and looks around to see thirty others doing the same, all in the same white dress. All of them look up to the sky and the stars until the man in the middle of them all closes his eyes. Opening them up once again, the man sees that all of them are in a cage, with shackles chaining them up together and in a circle.

With a shock going through visibly throughout their bodies, everybody begins to hold hands as they circle the tree that is in their shared cell, once again a willow but instead this time it is red-stained leaves dripping onto the floor creating a pattern of a rose.

Even when the shackles fall off and the cell bars fall down, all of the figures continue to dance. For their eyes are dead and now all of their faces share the same twisted smile. All of them become only white outlines with them dancing around the willow with only the stars as their company.

The scene changes when all of the lights shut off to reveal a white stage with a spotlight of red. A woman with white hair waves with a mask hiding her true emotion until she is chased off the stage by a woman with blue hair.

**何も気にしてないような顔で私がただ笑うからって**

**Just because I'm smiling as if nothing bothers me**

Mei Yamazaki runs onto the stage while dragging Shiro Amari with her. She waves and forces Shiro to do so as well, causing the boy to groan. Somebody from the audience of white outlines throws Mei a video game controller and Shiro stares blankly when he sees a piano from the ceiling fall and destroys the ground below. While Mei air kisses the excited crowd, a group of Monokumas clean up the mess but Shiro runs after them when he realizes the piano is still intact and tries to play on it. However, the cleaning crew disappears off stage, with Shiro still trying to catch up to them, causing Mei to apologize to the audience as she goes after them.

Then an image overtakes the screen of Mei's body hanging from the willow tree with a frown on her face. Though her limbs are broken and torn, she still reaches out to the flowers underneath. Her tears are red as they fall like rain onto the flowers below, causing them to bloom more. The touching scene is stopped with a shotput ball to her head, causing the body to fall. Shiro appears with the same blue-haired girl as before, waltzing with the mysterious stranger over Mei's body. But Mei is smiling, reaching her hand out to the woman history forgot the name of.

**あの日の事を全部何もかも忘れたとでも思ってるの**

**Do you think I've forgotten everything that happened that day?**

Next up are Emilynn McKay and Etsuko Abe who are both pushed onto the stage that is now set up like a therapist's office. Etsuko goes into the therapist's chair and starts spinning around in it to the point that she is highly pass being dizzy. Emilynn, however, just relaxes in the chair for the patient, putting her feet on the desk and placing her hands behind her head. One of the spotlights fall and the Monokuma behind the scenes team can be found cleaning that up and wishing they have picked another job. With the audience growing bored, the crew also drags both Emilynn and Etsuko off. Emilynn goes off willing, but Etsuko wants to continue spinning around in the chair. So the crew forces Etsuko off while she is still spinning around and around.

Another image, this time taking place inside what seems to be some sort of barrel. Emilynn and Etsuko have their backs to each other trying to find a way out of it. But they are able to make it out of the death trap, spears piercing their flesh everywhere but they still remain alive.

**傷を付けるほうはすぐに忘れても**

**Even though you may forget about it right after hurting someone**

All the lights suddenly turn off, and, when they appear once again, Ryusuke and Saitou Katatake are on the stage with nothing but their weapons. Ryusuke aims his blade at Katatake's heart, but the duelist smiles, mouthing something nobody can ever understand. After Ryusuke charges at Katatake, wowing the entire audience who responds happily with cheers and claps, Katatake defends himself and the fight is officially on. However, there is a malfunction with the lights, casting the entire stage in darkness once again. When the lights turn on yet again, Katatake is seen face-down on the ground with Ryusuke staring at his blood-stained hands. Standing right next to Ryusuke now however is another Saitou, this one with the last name of Kurokoma. The light once again turns off and then the only thing remaining on the stage is a massive puddle of blood. In a rush, the Monokumas clean it up.

**切られたほうはずっと忘れない**

**The one you hurt won't ever forget it.**

Now with the stage being set up like a classic Japanese home, Sachiko and Osamu appear. Although Sachiko is visibly frightened, staring intensely at the audience while clinging onto her cat Pon-chan, Osamu is noticeably looser. Sitting her down in one of the many chairs, Osamu starts serving her every desire, but, no matter what, Sachiko will not pay attention to him. Osamu brews some tea, with the Monokumas sighing past the curtains wanting this part to be over with already. When his job is done, Osamu serves his tea and then kisses Sachiko's hand. When Sachiko does not take the tea, Osamu has a blank expression on his hands. Though he offers up his hand, which Sachiko accepts as he escorts her off the main event.

During all of this, the screen randomly distorts to instances of blood. Then of the brutalized bodies of both Sachiko and Osamu, both of their bodies being mutilated by way to cutting off all of their limbs, but with Osamu reaching out for Sachiko who is turned away from him. Last is a figure entirely covered up in shadow except for their smile and then shushing whoever is viewing.

**そしていつか頭に焦げ付いて 黒く淀んだ水は溜まってく**

**And then someday, it will burn a hole in my mind, and the black, stagnant water will start building up.**

Jun and Fubuki have the same set as Sachiko and Osamu, but, instead of entering from backstage, they have their own special entrance from underneath the stage with the use of secret doors. Fubuki does not have her mask on so when she makes her grand entrance onto the stage, she puts it on and starts performing for her enticed audience. With a worried look on his face, Jun starts to transform the stage to what it once was with the help of the crew. When he finishes returning the stage to its original state, he forces the mask off of Fubuki. He hugs his sister, with her hugging him back. The audience boos as they throw tomatoes at them. They exit the stage by one of the crew activating one of the trap doors once again, except this time it causes Fubuki and Jun to fall because it was not properly set up.

Returning to the tree, Fubuki and Jun glare at the mysterious blue-haired girl who is reaching out towards them. They face away from her, walking in the direction of the tree, which has a hanging unidentified body. Once they are near enough to the body, Jun and Fubuki both go onto the ground, accidentally destroying some flowers, and begin to pray.

When the beat drops, the tree and garden are now apparently on fire. Team Danganronpa does not know the meaning of workplace safety.

**例えば君が望むなら 私を全て解体してあげましょう**

**For instance, if you wish, I will disassemble my whole body for you**

Seventeen silhouettes are seen in the shot against a plain white background. With the majority of them being still, forming a chain of sorts by holding their hands. Three figures are screaming at them, trying their best to break apart the chain but it will not budge. One, however, stands there watching the rest of them with their arms crossed. Getting seemingly bored of the display, the figure gets a gun, shooting one of the members of the rebellion down. But that does not stop the last two from trying. So, instead of killing them, the murderer watches as the white background morphs into red and turns and walks the other way. There is a single red-colored tear going down the figure's face as they do so. When the tear falls, it colors the same bit of white with red. The moment that happens the chain falls down, with the only ones still left standing being those who dared to rebel. So the murderer faces the two of them and smiles, then continuing their path.

**腕も 足も 髪も 舌も 胸も 耳も 鼻も 指も**

**Be it my arms, my legs, my hair, my tongue, my chest, my ears, my nose, my fingers**

For this scene, it shows off dead versions of the body parts mentioned contrasted against a black background with sparkles that resemble fading stars. They are all horribly mutilated and shown off as a trophy with stylized angles.

**心さえもすべて残らず**

**Or even my heart - I'll do a thorough job of it.**

Two Shiros are facing each other in a white void, one being how he usually is or another in despair and wearing a pink dress. The normal Shiro has a knife and glares at his other-self. Without mercy, he starts stabbing the other Shiro, once again coloring the white a shade of red. He will not stop stabbing even after the person is long dead and no longer identifiable. During this entire time, Shiro does not show any emotion.

**だけど私がこの世で一番 何よりも欲しかったものだけは**

**But what I wanted the most in this world, more than anything else**

Back to the stage, Natsuki and Kitsu have been performing their own show while the camera was away. Both of them play off each other well even though they have no experience with stage acting. It is the dramatic scene, with Natsuki shouting at Kitsu while he is trying to reach her. However, he cannot in time causing her to leave and never return, with him being forever alone. But, instead of being in tears, Kitsu begins to laugh and smile, going off in another musical number that has the members of the audience either crying or sharing the actor's infectious smile. When the musical number finishes, Natsuki bows, and chases after Natsuki.

Once again, a different scene plays during all of this, with them all noticeably having to do with Natsuki and another person covered in shadow. The first is Natsuki refusing the grab the person's hand, but the second she does with tears down her eyes and a worried facial expression.

**君のたった一言で粉々に砕け散って灰になった**

**Was broken into pieces and turned into ash just by a single word from you.**

Asuka and Ayumu are the next actors up. At first, neither of them know what to do, never having experience with this sort of thing before. They look behind them to see that the stage is still empty, no props to give them any help whatsoever. So, with nothing else to do, Asuka begins showing off her volleyball moves to the audience while Ayumu just goes to sleep in the center of the stage. Kitsu goes on stage again, with another musical number, circling around both Asuka and Ayumu. When he is finished, he drags Asuka off the stage, leaving Ayumu to the poor crew. Even when he is being dragged across the floor, Ayumu does not wake up.

Scene change to an elevator in which both Asuka and Ayumu enter. When the doors close, the camera moves down to the floor that they are supposed to arrive on. When the elevator makes it to its destination, both Asuka and Ayumu lay dead inside it, brutally murdered with agony distorting their once youthful and bright faces.

**私はそれしかいらないの**

**Kind of sad, considering that it was all I ever needed.**

Ichiko and Mizore at the last for the first cast, with Himura and the Akimoto siblings being noticeably absent. These two girls, however, are forced into a school setting with a Monokuma teaching them the basics of their talents. Both of them are not paying attention. When the teacher does not stop going over material Ichiko and Mizore already know by heart the two of them start to talk with each other. With their minds made up, and the Monokuma not paying attention to the students, the two of them try to exit, only to be intercepted by Mononeko who still looks too tired to do anything but still makes her introduction to the audience. Now that Mononeko is there, the Monokuma is fired. Mononeko then takes Ichiko and Mizore to escort them to their new classroom.

With the last remnants of the burning tree, Ichiko and Mizore sit with the backs against each other staring out to the stars. Mirroring the other's motions, they both reach out to try to grab a shooting star but fail, leaving them nothing but the fire threatening to slowly burn them alive. But they do not pay attention to they mirror their movements once again to grab a charred flower still on fire. While Mizore smothers the fire, Ichiko allows it to grow.

**さぁ**

**Alright.**

Three figures appear holding out their hands to a weeping child. Before the child can do anything, they all fall down to his feet.

**踊りましょう夜明けまで 疲れ果てて眠るまで**

**I shall dance until the day breaks, until I fall asleep with exhaustion**

Abandoning the stage yet again, we see the first two figures introduced, the blue and white-haired girls, begin to dance with each other underneath the burning tree. Although thirty bodies surround them, they do not mind as they continue to waltz. They go directly into the fire but do not burn, unlike all of the unrecognizable bodies, two of them which have flowers more charred than themselves.

**どうせこの心は君には 何一つ届かない**

**Because my heart won't ever reach yours, in any case.**

A new man tries to break apart the two dancing women, not caring that he is now being burned alive by the overwhelming flames. As the man falls down, falling victim to the will of mother nature, the two girls do not give him a second thought. Stopping for just a second, the white-haired girl kisses the one with blue hair before catching on fire herself.

**愛が欲しくて愛想笑い 夢が見たくて不眠症**

**Desperate for love, I force a smile. I wish to dream, but insomnia is my sole companion.**

The blue-haired girl returns the kiss but does not catch on fire. When the white-haired girl joins the bodies, her smile being eaten by the flames, at first the blue-haired girl laughs. But then everything settles in, causing the only survivor to cry and jump into the mass of the flames. But they refuse to burn her as she begins to cry more and more.

**別に何も悲しくはないよ**

**I'm not exactly sad about anything, though.**

Another scene change with Aito, Yuu, and Yuki holding each other's hands. They supposedly comfort each other while in front of three graves that have their names crossed out. Somebody else from the cast, entirely covered by shadow, tries to get them to join him. But the three of them refuse to watch the graves with a dead look in their eyes.

**ねぇ そうでしょ**

**Don't you think so, too?**

Continuing the previous scene, the three figures which fell down in front of the child before now rise from the graves. Aito, Yuu, and Yuki get taken by them, not fighting back in the slightest. The three figures lead the teens down to the ground with them. When they are nowhere to be seen, the figure that tried to get them before reappears, with a hammer smashing the graves to bits. He leaves as the fire returns and claims the graves.

**Music Solo**

A dog, a cat, and a rat venture onto the ruined flames, everything being claimed by the fire which has finally died out thanks to nothing else being able to feed its endless hunger. The camera follows them as they work together to find anything in the wasteland, but the fire consumed everything in its path. Near the end of the solo, the three of them come to face the blue-haired girl. For a little bit, they try to get her attention. But the girl, with wobbly legs and crazed eyes, begin to chase after them with a knife. Because of this, the three animals run the opposite direction, giving up their original goal. When they create enough distance between them and the girl, they look back to see the flames have started once again, with the source being the girl but they once again not having the mercy to give her what she truly wants.

**「もしもこの世に生きている人間には二種類いるとして,**

**"Supposing that there are two kinds of humans living in this world,**

The entire cast takes up the entire screen with white silhouettes over a black backdrop. They are divided by a red line by who visited the lost paradise of despair and who did not. Every couple of seconds, the silhouettes would change poses, to they become more and more disturbing hinting to the fate of everybody involved.

**必要な人とそうじゃない人に分けられているとしたら、**

**One is those who are needed, and the other is those who aren't.**

The original cast get all murdered with the those who are needed line. With the other who aren't line everybody from the new cast are murdered. Because this is me and everybody deserves to be murdered.

**私は前者である自信がもう限りなくゼロに近いので、**

**My confidence in being the former is already infinitesimally close to zero,**

Returning to a not super zoned out area, the blue-haired woman starts dancing on top of all of the corpses. Everybody is equal in her eyes since the entire world is her students.

**せめてただ一人だけに必要とされる人であろうとした。」**

**So I tried to become someone who would be needed by just one person, at least."**

The child from the first scene appears with flowers. Then he goes through the stages of his life, the flowers beginning to wilt as he grows older. When he officially becomes Shiro Amari, he drops the flowers, them turning to dust the moment they hit the ground.

**それすら上手く行かないまま**

**But even that doesn't work out very well.**

Seina reaches out her hand as a child but it does not get grabbed, resulting in her picking up the pieces of dust off the ground. She too then begins to age with the flowers beginning to bloom. But Shiro does not react, looking past her.

**そう**

**That's right**

Hanane sits down in the new forest under a different tree that looks directly the same. She glares directly at the viewers as she sings the lyrics.

**繰り返し繰り返し 何度も書き直して**

**Again and again, rewriting everything over and over again.**

The stage finally makes its reappearance. Surrounded by dogs, Keiji looks like he is in Heaven but Choumi notably just wants to go home. Instead of Monokumas, the audience and crew are filled with Mononekos. Keiji makes sure all the dogs are behaved and starts introducing them to Kobi, who is very protective of his human friend. Choumi just tries to leave the stage but is constantly denied by all of the Mononekos. Choumi eventually gives in after too many Mononeko blocks, which surprises her since Mononeko is still acting like her tired self, and joins up with Keiji. But, as she does so, Ichiko and Mizore come from behind the scenes. Grabbing both Keiji and Choumi, and being followed by all the dogs, the four of them escape before Mononeko can catch any of them.

Scene changes to Keiji climbing up the tree and Choumi hanging out on the top already, being almost able to catch the stars. However, Choumi falls and then Keiji jumps down to try to get her. Nothing is known about their eventual fate since the scene changes just before either of them gets to the ground.

**もはやぐちゃぐちゃで滅茶苦茶で 見るのも嫌気が差す**

**It's already so messed up, so wrecked up that I feel disgusted just looking at it.**

Now the stage has been transformed into a badly done rocket that is falling apart since it is entirely made out of cardboard. Sora and Chika are the unfortunate souls riding in it, with them comforting each other as the Mononekos fly them high up towards the ceiling. It makes its rounds across the theatre with the audience in awe. Right as they are about to be bought down to the ground, half of the bottom of the cardboard gives out. Chika almost falls down but Sora grabs her hand just in time. Just before the two of them can be confirmed to be safe, the Mononekos instead fling the cardboard death machine off stage and apologizes to the audience for all of the hassle.

During this, there are flashes about Chika arguing with Sora about something. At the end of the argument, Sora is in tears and Choumi leaves him biting her lip and stomping.

**それでもこの心を 引き摺って歩いていく**

**Even so, I will drag my heart along as I continue walking on**

Renkou and Kaimaru are pushed onto the stage to please the now bored crowd, with some of them being asleep. Kaimaru automatically starts to dance, with the crowd being pulled in by his enticing dance moves. Although Renkou was perfectly fine with not doing anything, Kaimaru grabs him and then they start doing the waltz. The two of them continue, with them getting faster and faster and finding the rhythm in each other. With a wink, Kaimaru goes up and is about to kiss Renkou. Before anything too frisky can go on, the Mononekos pull them apart and close the curtains. The main Mononekos goes up and speaks to the audience, apologizing for all of the delays in their performance.

Scene change to two dead hanging bodies that have been turned into nothing but dolls. Two children cry underneath them until people with coats escort them away from each other.

**代わりなど何処にもいないよ**

**Because there is no possible replacement.**

When the curtains part ways once again, Rokuro and Leonie are on the stage. Leonie immediately exits, leaving Rokuro by himself. Rokuro tries to entertain the audience but they are not interested so the Mononekos pull him off as well.

The more important scene then plays. With two children playing in a desert with nothing but miles of sand surrounding the two of them. But they still make it to an oasis where they pick up flowers that sadly turn into dust. Before they can take a drink, the water disappears, revealing it was nothing but a mirage. They still smile, however, playing in the sand while everything they owe turns into nothing but dirt. As the day turns into night, a massive wave of sand comes out of nowhere, swallowing both of the children.

**ねぇ そうでしょ**

**Don't you think so, too?**

Last but not least, there are Tahlia and Suzunami. The stage has been transformed into a workshop. Suzunami works on the lockpicks while Tahlia continues to create all of her inventions. Tahlia shows off all of her work while Suzunami makes horrible puns about everything. With all of the puns, Suzunami is booed off the stage, but Tahlia continues talking about how awesome everything she does is. Once Tahlia talks about the Committee, she is also booed off the stage, with the Mononekos shoving all of her inventions onto her to carry. Which leaves Tahlia confused because they both hate the Committee. I mean everybody hates the Committee, even themselves.

While this happens, there are images of bombs destroying the entire cities killing whoever was unfortunate enough to be stuck inside. There is also a person tied to a bed, singing softly some of the lyrics before the door of the prison opens.

**Music Solo**

With the music, there are stylish cuts and angles showing off the deaths and executions in the lost paradise. In the last bit of the intro, Shiro actually stops during his execution, having a moment of clarity. He reaches out toward something, apparently seeing a figure in the distance. But then Shiro dies the same way he does in a lost paradise.

**なんて残酷な世界でしょう**

**What a cruel world we live in.**

Cut back to the scene with Shiro and Seina. Shiro is now paying attention to Seina even though the flowers are nowhere to be seen. Behind them is their respected cast, carefully watching over the two of them. The blue-haired girl is now suddenly in the middle also joining in the spectacle of watching everything happen.

**誰もが幸せを求め**

**Everyone yearns for happiness**

The blue-haired girl places Shiro and Seina's hands together. With a moment of hesitation, the two of them begin to waltz in front of all of their classmates. But they never truly look at each other. In the background, their classmates start to fall down one by one.

**矛盾だらけのワルツを**

**And keeps on dancing**

However, Seina falls next, but Shiro continues to dance with her. Even when nobody else but the blue-haired woman remains. Eventually, though the blue-haired woman pulls Seina out of Shiro's hands. She hands Shiro over the flowers and he accepts, causing them to turn into dust once more.

**いつまでも踊ってゆく**

**An eternal waltz full of contradictions.**

The two of them waltz until Shiro falls down as well. This leaves the woman alone. Somewhere in the distance, she sees two figures, a man who looks like some sort of police warden and a woman that most likely belongs in the military. She just stares at them when they walk closer, with the bodies that they past turning into nothing but ash.

When the three different beats drop, they show different photos. They are all Shiro being killed in different ways. Lovely.

**さぁ**

**All right.**

Hanane is in front of the tree this time, once again singing the words. But this time she is standing up with a lighter in her hands.

**踊りましょう夜明けまで 疲れ果てて眠るまで**

**I shall dance until the day breaks, until I fall asleep with exhaustion**

Yuu and Yuki finally make it onto the stage. They bow before doing anything, confusing the audience. Then they light a match and throw it to the ground, quickly setting the whole theatre aflame. Gathering everybody else, Yuu and Yuki make their escape with the rest of the cast while Mononeko is too busy trying to control the fires. When everybody is outside, they see the tree. Hanane is there, and, using the same trick as Yuu and Yuki, sets the whole thing ablaze. The cast then go off into the sunrise not realizing one thing. One of them is not there.

**どうせこの心は君には 何一つ届かない**

**Because my heart won't ever reach yours, in any case.**

They all get done in by sleeping gas. When they wake up, they realize they are set in a circle on a field of wisteria. In the middle of them is the same blue-haired girl who reveals herself to truly be the Master. All at once, they all get the urge to bow down in front of her, causing her to go into a fit of laughter. And then, just like that, all of them die again, with their hearts giving out all at the same time. The Master grins, and then proceeds to waltz with every single one of their dead bodies.

**愛が欲しくて愛想笑い 夢が見たくて不眠症**

**Desperate for love, I force a smile. I wish to dream, but insomnia is my sole companion.**

Things reset once again. With the whole cast playing in the field as young children surrounding the Master. They slowly get older and stop playing. When they reach their canon age, they left the field. There is only one person who stays, even after Shiro tries to get her to go with him. That person is Mei Yamazaki who tries to reach for the Master. Instead of that, however, Mei gets stabbed in the heart, falling once again onto the ground.

**別に何も悲しくはないよ**

**I'm not exactly sad about anything, though.**

The Master goes up to Mei's body and starts stabbing it more. Though no blood comes out, with Mei being nothing but an empty vessel. Thinking about Mei's smile when they were younger, the Master stabs her more, trying to give her the sweet promises of despair. But nothing happens, with Mei being nothing more than a corpse now slowly rotting.

**なのに何故か涙が出るよ**

**And yet, for some reason, my tears still fall.**

With this, the Master lets go of the weapon and begins to cry. The white-haired woman appears, trying to give some comfort to the Master. But, after the Master not responding to anything, the white-haired woman leaves with no clear emotions on her face. Mei now appears to be completely rotted, with the ground claiming her as one of its own as flowers begin to find their home in her wounds and openings.

**ねぇ 教えて**

**Please, please tell me why.**

Looking over this scene, with the camera facing his back, is Himura. The camera follows him when Himura reaches his hand to her and the Master takes it. With a soft smile from the two of them, they begin to waltz.

**Music Solo**

With the two of them being truly alone, Himura and the Master waltz when the screen continues to show horrifying images from the lost paradise and the backstories from the main cast. But they do not stop, not even when the field they are dancing in begins to wilt.

The last image is of five children in a cell, three girls and two boys. They are all holding hands and smiling even with all of their horrible injuries. Because they have a promise that, no matter what, the five of them will remain friends.

**With the eternal despair awaiting us in the endless stars, we all seek a lost paradise filled with milk and honey.**

* * *

**I have no idea what I'm doing. Have fun making theories.**

**Reviews will be replied to in the next official chapter. This is just the opening.**

**This is not beta read so there's probably like a billion mistakes. NO BETA FOR OPENINGS WE DIE LIKE MEN. **

**If you are curious, the song is in fact called Waltz of Anomalies. Its a Vocaloid song made by the producer Hoehoe-P. Yes, I'll eventually make all the openings and endings for Forest of Despair when I'm not lazy and post them in the extras. Plus, the polls will be closed soon so hurry there if you want more time with your waifu or husbando before they go insane, get tortured, and then horribly die. Because, trust me, these deaths are going to be horrible and I'm not sorry whatsoever. If I say I'm sorry, I'm lying. **


	8. Chapter 1-1

**Chapter 1-1: Outcast Symphony**

**(I'm using this chapter to vent out my frustrations about current events so welp. Look out for that I suppose. Committee Saga is a dark vent fic series tho so this really shouldn't surprise anyone)**

**(And also child abuse trigger warning hooray just beware of Italics anywhere in this fic apparently)**

**(Also free time events start next chapter so sorry about that and this long ass author's note at the beginning. I should just get going with the chapter already.)**

**(Beta Read by: Lupus Overkill, Allen Ux Ultor, and akp1203)**

* * *

_"There is no such thing as hope. Or despair. You don't have to worry about any of that with me...Einosuke."_

_"...Really?"_

_"The only thing that matters is the nothingness that is the true state of all of our corrupted hearts."_

* * *

Hanane begins to study me, her eyes searching for most likely anything off. Although her seriousness is admirable, something is off, and I suddenly get an ill feeling about her. Maybe some resentment or even hostility?

"You shouldn't be talking to me with these half-baked theories about people that no longer exist. This is a game where only one of us can survive. Don't forget that." Hanane continues to glare at me. Her words give me much-needed information, however, since she does still remember the introduction of the game. That son of a bitch probably found a way to actually improve the effectiveness of the lights. But this apparent anger is odd, since Hanane is the type of person that does not seem like she would feel this way without an important reason. Maybe the Committee added or corrupted memories so people would be more likely to kill each other? However, that does not make sense either, since the Committee would have no reason to do any of this, yet, if they were not involved, then somebody extremely powerful had to steal their technology, and that kind of power in the wrong hands would make the world even more shit than it already is.

"This information is real." Can I truly trust myself though? True, I do not need to worry about the Blackout Lights, but the Committee or True Despairs could have created new technology, especially with my ties to the higher-ups being less than they used to be thanks to Kotori's death and Einosuke starting to lose interest in me and moving onto some of his other projects. My mother is excited about them, so Komaru and some of the others warn me to not go anywhere near the manor even in emergencies. That could be the reason why they were much more blinding than before as well. Checking my eyes, I notice that my contacts are still in, so there is no problem in that department. Most likely somebody wanted to remove evidence of their failure so early in the Killing Game.

"You think too much," Hanane warns me. Even though our conversation has only been a couple of minutes, Hanane turns and starts to walk away. But I want to continue the conversation since that piece of advice is something that could help with my survival. I have been zoning out way too often, perhaps due to the odd decorations of this place. Making theories will not do anything right now because there is no way to gather evidence as of yet.

Analyzing Hanane's body language, I notice that she is a lot tenser than the introduction of the killing game, which is odd. I thought Hanane was taking things relatively well yet her posture reminds me too much of Sae. Last time I saw Sae...it is best not to let the regrets of the past influence actions since it is highly likely I am projecting onto Hanane due to their similar facial and body structures. Though I cannot stop thinking...

_Kotori won't...won't hurt us...right? She's always so...kind and caring...to Kazuhiko..._

...Something is...wrong?

I do not know why I have a sudden urge to reach out to Hanane, a complete stranger. Maybe my mind needs rest after all of the events that have transpired today. Usually, my thoughts are not so clouded with so many useless details, so perhaps some sleep will help my mind to be more at ease. During times like these, I would prefer to be by myself, probably writing some music, though this is no time to indulge in simple past times. Anything that can give you joy can be easily turned against you.

...But I need to...reach out...

Without realizing it, I grab onto Hanane's hand, which actually takes her by surprise, evidenced by her strangely loud gasp. Harshly, Hanane twists her arm out of my weak grip.

"Don't touch me!" Much like the young adult, basically still a teenager, she really is, Hanane scowls at me, looking like she could practically start growling any moment. With a determined gleam in her eyes, Hanane returns to what she was doing before, tramping out of my sight with her footsteps becoming heavier as time rolls by.

Well, that went poorly.

Though that did give me information on Hanane pointing that she may not be the best person to rely on. She must be more emotional than I originally thought or something I did really upset her. Whatever. That is not such a big deal right now. Dwelling on an unimportant person such as Hanane will only decrease my chances of survival. With her apparent lone wolf attitude and no skills seen as of yet outside of creative arts, Hanane is much less useful than I originally thought. Good thing that conversation was short otherwise I would have to figure out a better course of action to fully utilize my day. With all of us being knocked out, I cannot be certain how much time we have left in the day, especially with the lack of clear day and night cycles and clocks as of yet.

Not wanting to continue with Hanane, I decide to go in the opposite direction. With how many times I have already risked being lost in this maze, it would be wise to get a map and have somebody good with directions with Ayumu investigate further. Ayumu would be a valuable pawn, not to mention an easier target, so it will be wise to keep him around (and possibly somebody who is easy to frame, since he does not seem to be standing up for himself too well against Mei). Especially considering Ayumu must have a cool head considering he has to deal with customers during the night and probably has been through a lot of burglaries. The last thing I need right now is somebody acting like a child causing everything to go to shit. Teenagers need to realize that this world does not give a shit about you, and keeping your innocence until your teenage years is a rare blessing, so cherish it while the world puts you through Hell.

Accidentally getting lost in my thoughts again, I am taken once more into the land of the damned by running into somebody. I look down to realize it is one of the people I want to see the least: Aito Watanabe. He is still with Emilynn and Etsuko, who are both a little further away. Even though this trio is quite...weird, they should still learn about the game. Not because I want them to live, but because of them lacking information might get us in trouble already knowing too much about their strange behavior.

"Shiro, my lovely piece of shit!" I already regret going this direction. Having awkwardness with Hanane will be so much simpler than ever interacting with Aito again. Though I may be stuck in this conversation and may have to do future ones since Aito could have valuable information.

"I do not have time for this conversation-"

"If we find time for this crazy person, you can too." Etsuko smiles as she pulls out an audio recorder. The lucky student, who is currently playing one of her many games (something she is way too addicted to and could cause way too many problems), pauses her game for a moment just to roll her eyes at the redhead...wait, no, Etsuko has white hair.

"We're all crazy, Etsuko. We live in a society," Emilynn replies. Etsuko laughs in response. The psychologist runs towards me and then shoves a microphone in my face, causing me to take a step back.

"I would show you the fun of one of my pranks but we've something important to do! Can't beat a Killing Game without the help of all of my useless friends!" ...There is definitely something going on with Aito.

"Shiro, you look like you've seen a ghost! Could you teach me your feelings about this matter?" Etsuko asks. She is not phased at all with the mention of her possible death. These three not only are weird but know way too much to not be considered threats. Because of their odd behavior, they act more as wild cards than chess pieces, which means they are extremely dangerous in this game. Although they may not get a lot of outside support, they as a trio could make it far, though one of these days they will have to turn on each other.

"How much do you know about the Killing Game?"

"Enough," Emilynn states bluntly. She puts down the game and joins the rest of us. "We're going to be the badass supporting cast who actually does all the work, protagonist, so you don't need to worry. More than one person will survive this time."

"Happy to see Mononeko here again! I'm going to be so happy to torture her again! No naps until you accept all my love!" Aito's smile grows as he pulls out an already bloodied knife. Etsuko, Emilynn, and I take a step away from him as he starts swinging with no regard for his surroundings.

"LMAO, she'll never," Emilynn says somehow with a completely straight face and monotone voice. "You'll have better luck convincing the Master to tell us what bullshit she's planning. None of us can really access her social link though. Press F to pay respects to all of the Future Foundation's plans for us. RIP." This sounds important but I cannot understand a single thing Emilynn is saying. Perhaps I should have paid more attention to my siblings who had gained access to the internet to better learn about all of the strange vocabularies from before the Tragedy.

"Make sure I'm there! Analyzing all of the True Despairs is simply so exciting-"

"Don't." Emilynn knocks Etsuko on the head. I never thought I would live to see the day that Emilynn would become the voice of reason. Somehow she is making sure that Etsuko and Aito do not accidentally...or purposefully...kill us all with their impulsive behavior. Though maybe she should stop Aito from swinging that knife around. If he hits anybody, there could be a high chance of infection, and we still do not know all of the medical supplies we have. Asuka is already injured so we do not want somebody else to join her.

"Stab, stab, stab, make her all pretty~"

"Ignore these two. They forgot to max their skill points in logic-"

"Hey! I'm plenty smart! You know that~" Etsuko pulls Emilynn into a hug, putting herself in a very awkward position to make sure that the microphone is still pointed towards me. Emilynn does not seem to mind, even smirking at the gesture.

"Alright Mr. Harem Leader, is there any other info we need to know?" The psychologist winks at me but I have no idea why she has given me that name. Having a harem is simply asking for trouble, especially because the Committee has banned all forms of polyamorous relationships. But this could be a good time to fish for information, maybe they would know more about the new player in this game. There has to be something more going on with Saitou Kurokoma but I cannot create theories with this little evidence.

"Do you know about Saitou Kurokoma?" I would ask about the other Saitou but these three were not there for the light. Although there is a chance they were affected later, I do not think that is necessary information at the moment.

"Saitou Kurokoma? Can't say I've heard that name before-"

Without warning, Aito throws his knife towards Emilynn. Emilynn does not need to move since somehow a box falls from one of the shelves and perfectly blocks the incoming attack. I do not going to question the logic of that. Trying to figure out how lucky students work will only lead to a headache since luck does not truly exist. It is all a lot of really strange coincidences. Seeing the possible damage, Etsuko jumps off of her friend and backs away.

"This always happens when Aito gets involved. It gets quite boring after the first time actually," Etsuko informs me. With this behavior, I find it hard to figure out why anybody would willingly hire Aito. Perhaps his parents have connections? Or maybe this boy is smarter than I give him credit for. This outlandish persona could easily hide a cunning mind.

"Aito, you can't just go around throwing knives at people," Emilynn sighs sounding more like a tired mother than somebody who just had their life threatened. Etsuko does not look phased at all, keeping her attention entirely on me.

"You can't tell me what to do, mom!" Aito quickly takes off one of his shoes and attempts to throw it at Emilynn once again. This time, however, a chainsaw of all things fell from the shelves. Looking around, I see all the dangerous weapons almost falling off and move towards the middle a little more. Perhaps it will be good to have other people secure all of these potentially lethal items. Walking around here feels like I am just waiting for a trap to go off and kill me. There has to be a way to end this conversation and go to safety faster.

...Maybe we should all be more concerned with the chainsaw but that is not the weirdest thing I have seen today. After figuring out how Asuka is doing, the truth about Saitou the duelist, and the rules of this game, I am going to sleep. If they do not provide safe bedrooms, there must be somewhere that I can seek refuge. This would be a good place if it was properly mapped and everything was protected.

"I'm not your anime mom. I'm not gonna die."

"I'm going to go rebel! Teenage angst phase! I'm going to dye my hair white and get red contacts!"

"You're not going to Kaneki Ken yourself!"

"Watch me! Nothingness, here I come!" Aito immediately sprints the way Hanane was going. If he somehow makes it where she is, I can only imagine the chaos. Emilynn sighs and slowly walks after him, taking out her phone once again. She is completely unphased when another chainsaw fell from the shelves and almost hit her.

"Just you and me, lover boy~" Etsuko taps on my shoulder and I take many steps away from her. Her smile only grows bigger. "Don't be shy. The two of us are great friends after all!"

"Leave me alone."

"Hahaha, you'll remember soon enough. I'll make sure of it." Not reading the mood of the room at all, Etsuko hurries over to me, evading my personal space. She almost pushes the microphone into my mouth but I shut it before she could. This behavior reminds me too much of Kotori but is the exact opposite at the same time, leaving me completely confused. It is clear why the Committee wanted Etsuko to be in Kotori's spot, even when the psychologist was just a child, but I still have no idea why she refused. The job seems to be her definition of paradise.

"There is nothing to remember," I say while shoving the small microphone away. But that does nothing to kill Etsuko's spirit since she shoves it right back. At this point, this teenager is nothing more than a child.

"Remember our promise? You're my partner in crime silly. Well, along with Ratscal, but he's being shy right now!" Etsuko then put away the microphone, turned off the audio recorder, and returned them to one of her pockets. It feels refreshing to finally have some of my own space back, even though Etsuko is still too close for comfort. She maintains eye contact with me, not breaking it for a single second. For a surprising second, there is a silence between us.

With the calm, I finally have time to breathe, to fully analyze this entire situation. There has to be some sort of clue to what the true plans are since there is no way these three know all this information without being more involved than originally thought. But I do not want to make assumptions since this weird trio can actually now provide me with the best of allies. With the lack of logic going through their brains, it could be easy to manipulate them, especially since their obsessions are so clear and exploitable. Aito can be won over with empty words of love, Emilynn with some simple video games that can probably be found through this endless maze, and Etsuko with the promises of learning more about the human mind. It is quite laughable how easy to read the most chaotic members of the group can be. With all of their experience, I would have thought they would be better at hiding for now. Especially since Aito has connections to that woman who looks strangely a lot like Ayano.

"I should be on my way. Can't have them finding all the secrets without me!" Etsuko bolts after her two friends, being a much faster runner than I would have originally assumed. But, with Etsuko out of the way, I can continue navigating these halls of shelves. If I am lucky, I will be able to find an exit easily, since whoever took us here had to have a way in and out that would be easy for them. Or maybe I am assuming that they are on the lazy side without any real evidence.

* * *

Searching through this endless maze, I realize one important thing: I may have a bad sense of direction. Perhaps it will be best to figure out strategies to avoid this situation in the future since right now I am very much stuck. In the city, navigation is much different, but I never had the chance to work a job in one of the Committee's many warehouses. Getting a job there would be seen as a disgrace for the Amari name so I will never get to truly live that experience. Although the Amari name has caused me and so many others much grief, I must also look at the advantages, such as Einosuke making sure that none of his too many children will ever go hungry with the money he makes exploiting others. To become as rich and successful Einosuke is in this world run by the Committee, you must crush the dreams of many others underneath your red-stained boots while feeling nothing other than pure ecstasy. Otherwise, the despair will overcome all of your senses and leave you as nothing more than an empty shell to make sure the greedy pigs will continue stuffing their faces in front of the starving masses begging and killing each other for a single piece of rice found in their vomit caused by overindulgence.

I know better than to fight the system. Somebody in my position can do nothing but survive-

"Yawnnnn...You need help." The downward spiral my thoughts were going down is interrupted by Mononeko appearing out of nowhere, resting on one of my shoulders. She snuggles up against my neck. It takes everything in me to not flinch even though her fur is strangely soft and comforting, much like many of the stuffed animals my siblings were allowed to have back in their early childhood.

"Mononeko, why are you here?"

"To help you...can't have one of my students die in here," the cat explains with her eyes barely managing to stay open. This must be part of the programming since there is no way that a robot would actually need sleep. Knowing the Despairs, they probably gave her this personality trait to better relate to some of the teenagers. "Then I'll help the other students...already causing so much trouble...too bad I don't have any more vacation time..."

"Other students? But I already graduated? Why am I here as well?"

"Because the Master wills it," Mononeko admits with surprisingly no amount of fight. Why would the Despairs replace Monokuma with an apparent blabbermouth? And why would the Master reveal this information to somebody with potential loose lips? The Master could be interested because of the Amari legacy but I highly doubt somebody like the Master would be that easy to predict.

"Would you give me more information?" This is too risky but Mononeko seems to be laxer than Monokuma so far. Or maybe her surface-level softness makes it easier for others to put their guard down around her. After all, Mononeko is still forcing us to kill each other, and, depending on the truth of the other Saitou, dragged another innocent person into this.

"No," she states bluntly. "...I'm too old for this. Turn left." Having no other option, I decide to follow the orders of Mononeko. Though trying to get more answers out of her right now is unwise. Though I cannot clearly see her face at this angle, I can tell by the claws threatening to dig into my skin that there is no chance for interrogation.

Everything looks the same even when I turn left, but that is to be expected. Even with my unexpected partner, it will take a while to get out of here. But everything is a maze, so, although I should probably be on guard, it is strangely relaxing, the monotony of chaos becoming normal yet atypical. It is an average day of strolling through the garden labyrinth filled to the brim of dastardly roses pretending to be a source of love and comfort.

"Take the next right...and then go forward..." Mononeko closes her eyes and I feel tempted to wake her up but do not want to stir the hornet's nest. She has a subtle simper, threatening to cast away her true colors in exchange for my life.

With Mononeko here, however, and not watching my every move potentially, a childish part of myself takes over, with my logic screaming that something else must be done. After all, Mononeko is a cat, and I absolutely hate cats, but she is the only one I can remotely get close to without going into a massive sneezing fit. If Pon-chan ever gets close to me, I am going to find a way to secretly stick Mononeko on her (I do not care if that would upset Sachiko or Osamu, just as long as they do not find out I did it I should be fine). Though, as a child, I would always want to pet a cat, and I knew about Komaru, Misoka, and Eri's oddly friendly stray cats that they would sneak to Saki...I should not think of such things...I wonder how Saki is doing now considering her current situation, maybe Jurou finally figured out how to do something...

This is not a logical train of thought. Such ideas are forbidden. They only cause pain. Do not think of such things. _Do not think of such things. __**Do not think of such things. **__**Do not think of such things.**_

_A little girl with a flower in her hair glitches into existence, stopping me right in my tracks, her smile being the purest but still having ill content. Her laughter is sweet as sugar but rotten to the core. "Why?"_

_M̷̢̳͈̬͈̲̮̮̞̞̑̅y̸̡̧̢̗̯̣͝ ̸̛̛̛̙̟̺̺̩̮̞̝̲̯̞͒͆̿͊̿̍͒͆͆̂́̑͂̑̀̕͘͜͜ͅl̷̨̨̫͚͈̘͈̰͈̭̝̱̎̀͆ͅị̵͍͐̃̐̑͆̄̊̄̒̾̽̐̎̅̈́̿̕̕ṱ̵̢̥̹͉̟̺̲̮̭͂͌̑͝t̴͍̠̦͛̋̀̈́̍̀̉̚l̴̨̪̜̺͓̲̦͕̠͖̣̠̰͍͘ë̵̢̮̬͎̖̮͇̹͔̗̖̣̜̹̖̩̟͓́̔̿̎͌͒͑͋̄̆͜ ̴̡̨̮̦̺̭͍͉̫͋̈f̴͇̋̀̂̽̂͐͆̊̈́̂͑̽̓̿͛́̊̊̊͝ḽ̷̨̲̳̞̪̦͉͋͆̋ŏ̴̼̳̝̰̽̈́͆̒̋͌͆͘ẇ̸̳̞̙̋̄͊̈́̅́̓̋͗͋̊͆́̂̚̕͝è̶̙̥̮͉̘̭̯̼̮̯͚̈́͛͐̐͗̏͒̐̉̒̽̓̑̕̚̕͝͠͝r̶̝̗̯̲̹̗͍̦̭̫̻̺͓̘͎͉͕̥̹̊̎̑̇̂̍̍̀̈_

"Amari?...Shiro?"

The flower is similar to a shining green light, so far away but within my grasp, separated by an ocean created by my own desire, and there is nothing that could be done to save us from being drowned in a pool of our own hubris. Only in the lonely depths of outer space can she finally hear the mockingbirds sing their songs of pure poison. Promising freedom but reaching out towards them only has them push you back into the deep end of the pool, lungs filling up with your own rice-filled vomit as they continue singing their little mocking song. Asking you who truly killed the mockingbird.

"This takes too much effort but oh well..." Mononeko leaves for a moment to fiddle with the shelves but I do not focus on her, having my entire attention on the girl now playing around with her pretty little red dress.

_"Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?" She continues her questions, her face slowly contorting to unending rage. "Why!? Why!? Why!? Why!? Why!?"_

"You owe me for waking me up from my naptime you troublesome student." Suddenly, I notice that there are now a bunch of ice cubes placed on my hands, which I only find have been reaching out towards the still visible girl. The girl's face softens as she tilts her head, her eyes zoning in on the cat. "Hold them otherwise you're getting detention...this is too much effort. What are the next steps...?" This is certainly weird but I should not question anything so I start squeezing on the ice cubes. They are certainly cold which makes me hope that they up the temperature in here. It surprises me that I am only now realizing how cold it truly is now with some goosebumps even appearing on my skin.

_"Why?" _Not again. This happens too much but not enough. Maybe I should continue this, perhaps it is the only way to find happiness. To finally succumb to the overwhelming waves.

...No, that is absurd. I have to continue fighting until my very last breath. No matter what I have to survive. I have to continue living in this world where I can never wear an innocent smile ever again.

"Uh...um...what are five things you see?" Mononeko asks, her voice sounding oddly similar to that of a child. This is an odd question but nothing I have not experienced before. Kazuhiko used to ask similar questions all the time but I have yet to figure out why. He really only started to question me on such topics after Ayano had her sudden personality and height change.

The girl, however, now completely overwhelms my vision, everything else blurry compared to her radiance. No matter what the green light will never leave, blinding all foolish enough to see it with its dangerous yet serene beauty. Threatening to escort me through a valley of ashes, I have no choice but to obey the immense powers of the virtuous eyes. Forever a doll for those in power, we in the lower ranks of society are forced to dance for their entertainment without stopping once in our lives. Whenever our bodies give out, the inflated egos harass us with now meaningless words such as lazy and entitled before shooting us in the head and replacing us with a nicer, younger, and more submissive model. We all reach for the light only for all our hopes and dreams to be smothered by cheap cigar ashes.

"Shiro Amari!" Mononeko returns by throwing some more ice cubes at my face. That is not very nice. "...Never make me do that again or else you're getting detention...which can only be done during my ninth naptime...what a bummer."

She is not very convincing of anything but then again it can all be part of a facade. The whole world is a stage, after all, and we are all players fighting to the death to be the main actor who gets all of the spotlight while the corpses of the costars burn in the background.

"Name five things you see," Mononeko demands in a soft but stern tone. The girl stares at me, still begging me to give her all of my attention.

"There are the shelves," I point out. I observe that Mononeko nods her head. "Plus, all of the items on the shelves, that include many hazardous materials that should be properly secured otherwise there will be an accident and that would be a boring case for you. After all, this game is probably for entertainment, and the audience would find it boring if one of the main characters with an interesting side arc and dynamic with other characters is killed without reason because a random shot put ball managed to bring an end to them-"

"Five things!" Mononeko gets...flustered? What is that supposed to mean? She is holding her paws up to her face as if she is trying to hide. "I mean...continue on otherwise I'll get bored...and tired...and sleepy..." I cannot tell whether or not Mononeko is the worse or best actor I have ever meet. She should either be getting lessons to Natsuki or Kitsu or tutoring them.

"I do not need to do such trivial matters now. Continue giving me directions."

"It's good for you...oh well, less work for me. Wait...where are we...?"

"..."

"..."

"..." Oh no. Even the little girl is judging her now.

"...Let's see...can't believe I got to do this..." Mononeko begins searching around. I attempt to get inside her mind but I only notice Mononeko staring intently at a box of legos. "Take a left."

Although Mononeko is the exact opposite of reliable, there is no other choice. Out of all of the hands searching through the dust of the valley of dreams, I would have never guessed that the hand of a robotic cat forcing me to kill would be by far the softest. At least the little girl accepts Mononeko now, with her skipping behind me and continuing with us through our boring journey through the maze.

* * *

Finally leaving the abyss after hours of being lost, the first emotion I experience is relief. Maybe I should never come in here without Ayumu ever again. Mononeko automatically falls asleep on my shoulder, making me question what time it is. Has it already been a day? Because, despite my lack of sleep and all of my walking, I am not tired. Only my legs are begging me to finally sit down. Though the little girl is still hopping around without a single problem. It is like she is playing a game with hopscotch with only herself, or finding entertainment by avoiding all the cracks on the floor and being stupid enough to think stepping on a single one will break her mother's back.

"Zzzzzz...wait the others...zzzzzz..." Who thought it would be a good idea to give a robot a snore function? All it causes is a great annoyance.

Breaking the calm, Pon-chan suddenly comes from one of the vents, with neither Sachiko nor Osamu being anywhere to be found. Pon-chan probably escaped because they are either both sleeping or not paying attention to her. Whatever that cat wants to do I want her nowhere near me. Even being this close to her is already stuffing my nose up.

"Meowwwwwwwww..." As if she is mocking me, she probably is knowing how cats are, Pon-chan starts to stroll over, taking way too calculated steps. If this cat somehow turned to be the one behind this entire game, nobody would be surprised. Anybody with a brain would know that cats are not to be trusted. They only bring pain.

She is way too close. There has to be a way to stop her. I would try to use Mononeko but she is currently fast asleep and not responding anyway with how much my body is shaking. With every passing second, it takes more willpower to make sure I do not sneeze. Everybody knows after the first sneeze it is impossible to silence the brutal army of them afterward. The girl could possibly help but I do not know what a child can possibly do to stop such a deadly force. For once, I regret not taking one of the many classes my siblings offered me about cat care. After sorting through all of my chaotic thoughts, only one option made sense to me. No matter how embarrassing it is, some actions have to be done to help reach a greater goal.

I hissed.

At first, Pon-chan is confused, maybe not understanding the sounds coming out of my mouth. My first hiss is pathetic but I am not an evil cat who had years to practice all of their devious deeds. Perhaps my hiss should sound more like one of a snake. But Pon-chan would eventually realize that I am not a predator so it is best to assert dominance over the troublesome feline. So I did what any sane person would do and pissed again.

"Hissssssssss." Pon-chan starts to stand her ground with her fixing her posture in an attempt to appear more threatening. The only threat without her army of other cats is the allergies she, unfortunately, causes but luckily those are not fatal. In the corner, I can see the little girl laughing, probably having the most fun she has in years pitying such an unnatural display. I have not seen her smile like that for too long.

"Hiss!"

"Hiss!"

"Hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!"

"Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!"

"_Hissssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!"_

_"__**Hisssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!"**_

_**"HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"**_

With the last hiss, Pon-chan finally bolts out of the room in the vent she came from. Although the method was certainly unorthodox, it actually got better results than I expected. The little girl pouts now that her latest source of entertainment is gone, but seconds later fixes up her mood by playing with the loose fabric of her dress.

"Blackmail saved." Catching the both of us off guard, Emilynn is at the entrance of the maze with a phone in her hands. Of course, I should have suspected such an ending in a public space. "Would be viral if I had internet. That sucks. RIP meme, never got a chance to live."

"Nevermind that...where are Aito and Etsuko?" I ask her, trying to change the subject. She has a smirk on her face before closing her phone and putting it back in one of her pockets.

"In the labyrinth trying to save their annoying little brother from too attractive David Bowie." I am not even going to pretend I know what that means. Emilynn begins to step in my direction. Her smirk becomes more playful yet venomous the closer she gets. "That package is killer. I would simp over him any day."

"How did you get here?"

"Luck." So Emilynn's apparent luckiness has uses outside of her too-close encounters with death? Or maybe Emilynn is lying. It can all be a coincidence or something more sinister at play. If luck somehow turns out to exist like Hope's Peak theorizes, it will be best to remain on Emilynn's good side, even with her very questionable choices for her company. To convince yourself that you are not insane in this world, you have to surround yourself with people far worse than you.

"How does your luck work?"

"Sorry, you haven't unlocked my character path. It's a secret!" Emilynn does her best to wink but all it looks like is her closing her eyes awkwardly. "But I got another cutscene to get to! Gotta get Mononeko for this story path."

"Huh...Oh Emilynn...wait, Emilynn!" Mononeko immediately shoots up in speeds that I did not know were possible for her. "You aren't supposed to be here...they really have to raise my paycheck now..." Emilynn yanks Mononeko from my shoulders and starts holding her like a child holds their poor captive pet. Without saying goodbye, she rushes back into the complicated puzzle of badly coordinated shelves.

The girl and I exchange looks. We then decide to continue our investigation. Without the presence of Mononeko, it will be easier for me to investigate the room Saitou was murdered in. There has been some amount of time so it is possible that they moved the body but there can still be evidence that can be left behind. With no way to tell the time it is impossible to determine if it has been seconds, hours, day, or even years since the introduction of the games. This is no time to theorize about such matters, however, since evidence still needs to be gathered.

Into the nonexistent dawn, we continue on.

* * *

Stepping into the corridor, I realize that everything is the same and nobody is currently in the hallways. I hurry over to the door leading to the room that Saitou was murdered in but hear some odd noises before I get the chance to open it. It sounds like there is a lot of...pounding? And some weird sounds that I have not heard before.

"I'm going to murder you for daring to tarnish my greatness in such an underhanded way!" A voice shouts that I immediately recognize as Tahlia's. She has a very distinct voice with her assumed Canadian accent (but I am not an expert in such matters). "...Aux grands maux les grands remèdes!" So Tahlia knows French? Not that surprising considering where she came from. Canada is well known to teach everybody French and, according to the Committee, it is out of spite because of many languages other than English dying. Yet there are more important matters, like Tahlia having such threatening language. I might not want to get involved but I still need to figure out what truly happened to Saitou partly to make sure such a fate does not befall me.

Opening the door I am met with a shocking sight.

The whole room has been changed. Even looking at the corner Saitou was murdered in, I do not see any evidence that he even existed. Instead, I see that Tahlia, Mei, and Suzunami are playing some sort of game while Seina investigates the room (though she is too casual for her searching to be anything too serious, she is most likely trying to find something relating to the game). Also in the room is Ayumu, sitting in one of the many chairs watching the three people being way too immense for what looks like to be a simple game I can probably beat them in while sleeping. I may not know much about video games but my strategic mind could make it so that I can find tactics to ensure my victory relatively quickly.

More onto the room itself, it would be described by one of my brothers with a term like 'man cave.' Not completely certain about that however since I was never allowed to interact with my brothers that much or go into 'boy's only' rooms although I have been certain for most of my life what my gender is. In the left corner near the door, there is a black bar with two stools, with behind the bar having a massive TV currently displaying Monokuma discussing the lack of fish in his diet. There are also drinks that are clearly alcoholic that I must make sure the teenagers do not get since combining alcohol with somebody going through puberty is always a horrible idea. It also has the worse hangovers. The middle of the room has a bunch of bean bag chairs and three black leather seats that are currently taken by the three supposed friends attempting to kill each other with their cars only for a fictional first place. With the determined looks on their faces, I can tell that people have probably died before for this outdated game which is depressing. On the wall opposite the door, there is a massive screen that almost covers the entire of it. With how dark it is in this room, which is not healthy for anybody's eyes, I can only barely tell that the walls are painted dark red (because the wall space not covered by TVs has a lot of Monokuma pictures) and white carpet. To complete the room, there is a black shelf that almost reaches the ceiling filled to the brim with classic games and movies. All of these are from before the Tragedy happened.

"Jaku niku kyō shoku!" Mei proclaims as she puts her controller down, stands up, and puts one fist in the air. Suzunami and Tahlia slump down in defeat, with Tahlia aiming her controller at the screen before Seina cancels what she is doing and stops Tahlia from destroying the property. Ayumu meanwhile seems like he is about to fall asleep. That is when Mei looks back to where I am and I already know I will be regretting my decisions. "Shiro! We can finally have an adventure together! Oh, I'm so excited, I already made so many cool new friends!" Not caring much about safety, and not acting like a normal person, Mei turns around from where she is standing, jumps over the back of the big chairs, and charges at me before trapping me in a hug. The little girl in the red dress pouts, clearly not thrilled with any of the gamer's actions.

It shames me to admit that I have only just now noticed that Mei's outfit has changed. Her wedding dress was beautiful so that is quite a shame, but it is good that she does not have to deal with the pain of white dresses at the moment. Mei is still quite simple but somehow that makes her stick out even more. For her shirt, Mei wears a light blue crop top that has short sleeves and is a turtleneck. She has a dark blue pleated skirt that goes halfway down her thighs. Underneath the skirt, Mei wears white shorts that only peak out a little bit and almost match her skin color. To add some more color, Mei wears light pastel pink knee socks and white tennis shoes. Lastly, Mei has a clip in her hair on the side of her face, with the clip looking straight out of what I think is considered retro video games. Onto the clip itself, it looks like a spaceship but sometimes it can be hard to tell. All I know is that it is strangely familiar.

Wait a minute, did Mei walk all over that chair with her shoes on? Somebody has to teach that girl manners! Luckily I cannot see any noticeable damage to the chair but one should be careful not to leave dirt everywhere. Not only that but Mei's shoes are untied! Have this girl's parents not bothered to teach her anything? That kind of carelessness could get the entire family killed!

"...Hey Shiro!" Suzunami calls to me. Xe acts more reasonable and gets out of the chair normally. "Want to hear a joke?" I am given no time to respond. No matter what I will have to suffer because of the meme existence of puns. "How do you organize a space party...You planet!" I want to die. The little girl in the red dress is so unimpressed with the pun that she leaves the room.

"I'm sorry but you get to deal with them, Shiro." Waking up Ayumu leaves the room before any of the girls or Suzunami could stop him. I guess he actually does have control over these kinds of situations, but why would he not stop himself from getting dragged by this group in the first place? Guess I have to learn more about him, later on, to truly understand what is going on in that mind. And how he is able to so easily not get lost. If he gets attached to me, there is a chance that I will be able to use him to explore the maze without having to go in myself. Maybe he can find _that _again.

Without Ayumu, things actually settle down a little. Suzunami, Tahlia, and Mei start to talk with themselves and I notice Seina is by herself again. Maybe this is the best time to gather information. Most likely Seina will be affected the same as Hanane, but she was injured unlike the artist so the result may vary.

"Seina, do you remember Saitou Katatake?"

"From the information given to us wizards," Seina waves around her stick, "I don't know the name! It would be a pleasure to duel him, however!" She points her wand towards me next. Examining her neck closer, I can still see the marks that Ryoichi...or Ryusuke left. "Perhaps you will want to embark on one of my many quests! I have a mission for all the mortals that dare to wish the secrets of sorcery!"

"Seina...do you really not remember?" Catching me off guard, Mei joins our conversation. Tahlia and Suzunami are discussing some sort of invention to help them with memes and I will not pay attention to that conversation for my own sanity. "He saved you from that Ryoichi meanie..." Mei stares intensely at her neck. "You got scars! Oh no, don't end up like my sister!"

"Worry not my great companion, I will do no such thing! But I don't remember..." Seina stops herself and looks at her neck by running up to the bar and using its surface reflection. "...What...?" Before the conversation can continue, Seina's eyes begin to twitch and then she blinks. "Nothing to worry about young traveler! That's a childhood injury! Now I look like a badass mage!"

"..." Mei stays silent, looking over Seina with a weirdly analytical eye. Tahlia is still having her conversation with Suzunami but is looking at us with a close eye. "That's cool! I got a scar of my...you know what, that's too much information-"

"Tell us~" Tahlia then ditches Suzunami, who looks somewhat dejected.

"No, it's private!" Mei begins to blush as she begins to badly hide herself. "Seina, help me!"

"Attention squad, we must show Shiro what we're made of! You know what to do!"

"You can't tell me what to do!" Tahlia shouts back. "I'm smarter than all of you-"

"But its for...the meme! Plus you lost the game so this is payback. To be a player must mean you accept the consequences of your loss!" Seina smiles and I already fear for my life. That is when Seina, Mei, Suzunami, and Tahlia, in that exact order, join up together in the center of the room. I am grateful that I have not moved from my spot very close to the door. The power of memes is truly terrifying, no wonder the Committee has been trying to limit their use.

"M!" Seina forms a m.

"E!" Mei cheers as she does her best to look like an e. She does not do a very good job but many people would give her points for trying. I would not.

"M!" Suzunami then makes another m.

"E!" Doing a much better job than Mei, Tahlia finishes the sequence. And I want to die even more now.

"Meme squad!" The four of them announce together. All of their smiles are mocking me.

"Did somebody say meme!?" As if this moment could not get any worse, I could only feel complete dread as I heard that voice. This is going to be torture. Maybe I should have stayed in the maze and searched for clues there instead. I would rather experience that pain than deal with whatever this is any longer.

"Yes!" They all respond as if they are a hive mind. As a collective, they are far worse than many other groups in history. If they ever learned about their true power, the world would never be the same. Memes would take over the world and there will be a new type of despair for those like me. Those forever stuck choking on their own uselessness, attempting to get their words out, but never being able to as the sheep of the meme continue to dance to the rhythm of the war drums. That would be a world without meaning, only that of chaos, and seeing what jokes will stay popular for even a second with the boredom of the hive mind.

"SomeBODY!" The door gets kicked open and I regret my decisions even more. Being so close to the door, I get slammed to the wall because of the sheer force and power behind it. "Once told me!"

"The world is gonna roll me!" They continue the song as the clear culprit, Emilynn, joins them by creating a pathetic excuse of a s with her body. While they entertain themselves with such stupidity, I try to recover from the situation. Getting away from the door, I realize that they are having too much fun to notice me, and that lack of awareness will get them all killed. At least I know all the people who are for sure not a threat.

Before I leave the room, I listen in to the conversation once more. Who knows? This group of people could have some important information and let it slip without thinking through all of the consequences. Maybe the reason Ayumu stomachs being with all of them is because of the safety in numbers and them also being easier targets. They have to be stupid to become friends with somebody after only knowing them for about an hour and then being forced to kill each other. This behavior may be escapism for them to not accept the reality of the situation but they have to live in the true present soon enough.

"We live and die by the meme!" Emilynn exclaims, having way more emotion than all of the other times I have seen her. "Kaneshiro doing Kaneshiro bitches! Suck my dick!"

That confirms that this conversation is useless. I do not say goodbye to any of the 'meme squad' before leaving and closing the door behind me. I do not want any rational person to be stuck with that kind of group. That would only add more to the hive mind.

* * *

Escaping the chaos that is dubbed the meme squad, I find myself in the hallway once again. It will be useful to have a map of some kind since I have actually not done a lot of exploring yet. But now that I am certain the clues surrounding Saitou's death have all been erased, I must have some other objective. Perhaps I should try to find where Asuka is. Not only would Asuka be a valuable tool, but her injury could either make her an easy target or have more information on where the medical supplies are stored. Just in case one of the students decide to attack me, I should be ready to defend myself but also be ready to patch up potential wounds. I am by no means weak but going against one of the athletes would put me in too great of a physical disadvantage. Getting close to one of the athletes could also turn them into a bodyguard who would have their guard down when it is the perfect time to strike. Though I might have to choose a different athlete to manipulate since Asuka may be stubborn but she is very clearly not one to be easily manipulated. I need to learn more information about Renkou and Kaimaru to know their true usefulness.

"Shiro, are you alright?" Somebody asks me. Getting out of my mind, I realize that it is Himura. That smile is way too forced to be trusted. Considering I have certain...feelings about him, that means there must be something more going on. Last time I had these feelings it was a bad omen. I am not one to usually believe in such ridiculous concepts like bad omens but just this one time it is the only conclusion that makes sense. Love only exists to create more humans (but that can be arguably done more effectively without love) and to manipulate others.

"Yes. How are you feeling, Himura?"

"It sucks having to kill each other but I'm sure everything is fine! The Committee will find us eventually. We just got to sit down and relax until help is here!" Himura awkwardly laughs. "That thinking can't save Saitou though." I wanted to point out what Himura said but it will be best to keep that information to myself. If my suspicions about Himura are true, it will be best to not give him any information. Best to have him talk freely around me more so I can have more evidence to use against Himura. If I somehow get Emilynn's phone, then I could record the conversations secretly, and it will be useful to have some blackmail. Also to remove that video of me. I have an image to maintain and that would destroy it. Emilynn would destroy my reputation without mercy.

"Can the Committee be trusted, however?" I question Himura. I may not want to directly confront him but it will be a good idea to ask questions to slowly gain more information. It is rare to hear somebody, especially an Ultimate, to be so positive in their views about the Committee. The best view of the Committee in my Hope's Peak class could be best described as neutral. There are a lot of supporters of the Committee but those who do not work for the Committee itself stay outside of cities in places not destroyed by the Tragedy, not to mention most of them are white, heterosexual, rich, cisgender men from America. Considering the Committee is so prideful of their original country that their full name is the American Word Restoration Committee that should not come to a shock to anybody. Perhaps one of Himura's parents are from America? No, that does not make sense, since Himura looks completely Japanese and there is no way the Committee would allow a foreigner not from Europe inside their borders.

"Yeah! They created this free world we live in," Himura's smile falters for a moment. He grips onto his violin case a little harder. "But enough politics! People have been getting sick of politics! Like have you heard about all of those riots about police brutality in Finland and there's apparently a plague going through other parts of Asia. There's a rumor that the Committee started it to finally get rid of Thailand-"

"Pon-chan!" Osamu exclaims, finally ending this miserable conversation. I successfully resist my urge to smirk. Emilynn may have blackmail but my tactics worked to finally get that cat away from me.

"Please come back Pon-chan..." Sachiko follows after Osamu, looking left and right for her troublesome cat. Before they can notice us, Sachiko and Osamu enter the storage room. Only if they were just a bit faster they would have stopped the unneeded confrontation of Pon-chan and me. Sachiko should keep better track of her cat but cats are escape artists, which only adds to how dangerous they are.

That is when I truly decide to look at Himura. Not for his beauty but for the truth. It is hard to do such a thing when you do not know a person, yet something inside me that I thought I lost a long time ago unites whenever I see his face. His face should be youthful and bright, not knowing the true cruelties of the world, like how everybody should be but never gets a chance to because of the corruption and greed of the people ruling over us. Looking into his eyes I know Himura has seen too much of the world. There is no light. A candle should burn brightly but it cannot do so when all the wax melts into a pathetic pool of dread.

"...Excuse me! I should help them!" Himura wants out of this conversation just as much as I do and runs out of there. The good thing is that the three of them will hopefully be stuck in that maze for a long while looking for a cat that is not there and would not bother me. There are way too many complicated emotions with all of them and I do not want to experience them right now...though maybe I should have asked Himura if he knows where Asuka is. It is too late now, however, so I just have to find another person.

Continuing my investigation into Asuka, I walk over to the door opposite to the storage room. When I try to open it, I observe that it is locked. That is strange. I was certain that this was opened earlier. Not wanting to search either the gym or the supposed dorm rooms (I am not completely certain but that is what makes the most sense), I decide to enter the other room. Luckily this door is unlocked.

* * *

Entering the door, something is wrong. There is no way something like this is in this spaceship. This is something out of my child's wildest dreams but I cannot give myself into such temptations now. It reminds me too much of a place one of the other women used to like to visit when Einosuke would allow the two of us some time out together. That woman always liked taking all of the different children out as if that would improve our situation anymore. But what bothers me the most is that this does not fit the theme at all!

What does a rainforest-themed restaurant have anything to do with space or school!? I would like to speak whoever was stupid enough to make this strange creative decision.

There must be two levels to this dining area so that confirms that there is a second level. The second level can be seen since there is a square-shaped opening. On the first floor, since the second floor cannot be seen from this level because of the admittedly rather flimsy wooden barrier, the first object I notice is the massive weeping willow tree in the middle of the room that goes all the way up to the second level. Both the right and left sides are filled with small wooden tables and chairs that match their aesthetic, with there being four chairs per table and three tables on each side. The tables are the standard restaurant ones and they all have napkins, salt and pepper in containers designed to be like various different animals, and a menu that has a smiling Mononeko or Monokuma on the black cover. Surrounding the tables there are various items to help the theming. In the direction of the gym, there is another door, so perhaps that is another way into the gym? The other side of the room has a wooden staircase. It will be important to check later. Most noticeable is the ceiling filled to the brim with fake branches covered with plastic leaves and pink flowers that I only know as Phlox drummondii. The flooring is tile with the background being black and there being designs of different kinds of leaves. This is only part of the room, however, since much of it is blocked from my sight because of the massive tree. Another important detail to notice is that the room is much more humid than the rest of the ship and the heat is making me tempted to roll up my sleeves.

Hearing the sound of rushing water, I explore the back area of the restaurant. This area is a bar that has a rushing waterfall at the back. The stray droplets that find their way towards me are refreshing thanks to the aforementioned heat. To have it not drip on the floor, there is a fountain lining that area of the wall that has several fish swimming around. Onto the bar itself, it is shaped oddly enough like a mushroom. It is circular in shape and orange in color with there being about ten weirdly zebra-themed stools surrounding it.

Overall, this is too weird to have any other conclusion than this was made to confuse us. Part of me feels attacked by this decision but I know that I am too unimportant in the grand scheme of whatever their plan is to invest an absurd amount of money to tease about memories only the Amari family should know about. Despite my best efforts, I find myself wandering into the bittersweet land of memories, unable to resist the forceful draw to youth. My childhood wraps her arms around me, whispering white lies and smothering me with her hypocritical acts of compassion.

* * *

_"C'mon...Shiro! Yeah, Shiro! You're the one who wanted to go out dressed like that!" Shouko smiled. Before I could respond, she threw an apple harshly at me, causing me to fall onto the ground but I refused to let myself cry. "Oh shit! I'm sorry! Guess I don't know my own strength! You're not like the teenage boys yet! But you're almost there!"_

_"...Don't remind me..." I mumbled. At this point all I wanted to do was music but Shouko refused to let me alone. Fixing up my t-shirt and shorts, I then picked up the apple and threw it into the garbage. Einosuke allowed us to go out on the promise that we would do the grocery shopping for the day instead of Eri who caught a cold from Fumiko of all people._

_Shouko was a fairly normal person. Pale skin, black hair (she dyed it pink, however), and blue eyes. Her pink hair was long and her bangs side swept, and the bags underneath her eyes lacking any sparkle tells the story for anybody that has a brain. Einosuke always loved those features so no wonder Shouko found herself stuck in the mess known as the Amari family. Her style was simple as well, probably because she was not allowed to have many clothes or much money (and the money she just got she spent stupidly on me). She wore a white mid-sleeved shirt and a blue plaid scarf that was way too big for her and did not match the summer weather at all. For her pants, Shouko wears lavender jeans. And, of course, there was that goddamn bracelet. The only thing that Shouko kept from her old life was her run-down blue sneakers that are threatening to fall apart any second._

_"I know it sucks but you gotta face the day with a smile on your face! Hey, I may only be seventeen but I know a lot about the world!" Shouko did a fist bump and I only glared at her. That was her mistake: being too goddamn cheerful in this fucked up world. She reminds me of Seina which means I should not get close to that woman no matter what plans I could do with her. "You're going to Hope's Peak next year, right? Well, that's what...he said and he can't be trusted and I should stop talking and let's have some fun!"_

_"Wait, what about Hope's Peak-" My question got interrupted by Shouko grabbing onto my wrist and dragging me into one of her favorite restaurants. I had gone there before but with another one of the women that Einosuke kept around. There was barely anybody in there since it was in the middle of a weekday. We were seated fairly quickly near the back of the restaurant._

_"So Shiro! Anything else you want to do? We can bullshit our way out with like traffic or something if it takes too much time!" Shouko is way too loud and, if anybody else was anywhere near us, they would tell her to quiet down. But it was not my place to question her question making about such matters._

_"Not really. All I want to do is music..."_

_"Do you know how to sing?"_

_"What?"_

_"Do you know how to sing, Shiro?"_

_"Uh, no?" I answered. With my specialty being in instruments, I found no purpose dedicating any of my time to singing. That would only waste the little time I have left before my adulthood. Plus my mother liked to sing. The less time thinking about her the better. Sometimes she would still visit me in the Amari estate and every time was an experience I never wanted to go through again but knew I had to._

_"If you ever want to~" Shouko had a grin as she threw the book violently right beside me. Looking down I realized that it was a Dummy's Guide to Not Singing Like Absolute Dog Shit. That was certainly...a title. Emilynn would surely get a kick out of that. Maybe I could find it in a library and exchange it so she can get rid of that blackmail. "Chase your dreams while you still can, kid!"_

_"...You're only five years older than me," I pouted._

_"Still a kid...Excuse me...Goddammit..." Grabbing onto her chest, Shouko excused herself from the table. And I was given time by myself. Not having anything else to do, I decided to pick up the book and started to read through it. Once I heard footsteps coming in my direction, I quickly closed the book and did nothing but stare into space and think._

_"I thought I raised you better than that. You are going to break this poor man's old heart." Everything seemed to freeze. I did not need to look to know that Einosuke was the one that sat on the other side of me now. "What are those clothes? Those are absolutely dreadful but I guess I should not expect much from a half breed such as yourself." Stay quiet. There was no point fighting back. Saying anything would be illogical. "If you were to act out in such a way ever again, maybe I should take away your beloved piano-"_

_"Please don't." What an idiot. Children are so idiotic and know nothing about the world. All that naivete will only destroy you. The happy ending of Alice of Wonderland is nothing but a lie. Alice does not admit that she is up for execution, with her killer aiming a too massive ax at her neck. There is no defeating the Queen of Hearts. Only the Mad Hatter could ever dare stand up against her but he is too busy overlooking the killing of an innocent child with tea and glee. Right before the blade hits the neck, where Alice envisions going back to her home, the Mad Hatter laughs, breaking her out of her fantasy. All Alice desires to do is scream but finds that her mouth has been sewn shut with her own delusions of grandeur. The last thing Alice ever hears is that pitiful laugh of utter despair._

_"Good girl. Now, where is that dreadful woman? She is more trouble than she is worth." For a second I allowed myself to hope that she would not come back. That was a second too long._

_"Hey, Shiro..." Shouko was waving to me but stopped right in her tracks as she saw Einosuke there with his smile matching the one she used to have. She refused to move from her spot._

_"Shouko, you should know better than to try to defy me like this once again. We are going to have a nice chat. Do not worry, I already have Eri picking up little Shiro here. She will be in good hands-"_

_"Shiro is a man," Shouko stated in tears. "He's your little boy! Treat him like one, you goddamn asshole!" Shaking like a lost, wet cat, Shouko glared daggers at Einosuke, but he did not flinch. "I'm tired of fucking hiding and being scared of your bullshit! Kill me ,you dick! I don't care anymore! I'm so goddamn sick and tired of this life as your fucking slave! This isn't what you promised!"_

_"It would be a waste to kill you. Trust me, my dear Shouko, what I am about to do to you will make you wish you are dead for every second of your miserable life. Now, remember Shiro, if you want to go anywhere, behaving like this woman is not going to be the way." Without any other words, Einosuke left the table and grabbed onto Shouko's wrist. She struggled as he pulled her through the back door. Afterward, the waitress that was watching the whole interaction came up to me and asked for my order._

_I never saw Shouko Amari ever again._

* * *

"...Shiro-san?" Blinking back into reality, I observe that Sora and Chika and now with me, the girl being the one who is currently questioning me. Thinking about it, Chika will be a good person to team up with, since she knows a lot about space and has a good head on her shoulders. The downside is Sora, however, since I do not think that he will be great for the strategy in the long run. Maybe Sora can die and, although Chika would obviously be depressed, she could be easier to manipulate with empty words of sympathy. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Uh...can somebody else do this? The pollen is making me..." Fumbling through his backpack, I see that Sora takes out an inhaler and places it in one of his pockets instead. He also pulls out what looks to be a piece of candy and starts chewing on it.

"Sora, I know you are uncomfortable but we were given a job. This should only take a second, okay?" Chika looks at her brother and he gives her a timid nod.

"You do not need to worry for I am fine," I respond to Chika. At first, she is taken off guard by my sudden response but quickly relaxes. The cosmologist once again focuses on her brother who looks like he is ready to bolt any minute.

"That is good! Let us return then," Sora replies. "Oh, um, I do not want to be rude or anything. Do you want a gummy?" Eating such candy will only lead to an early death. Although both of the twins have healthy appearances, they can easily be deceiving and could be hiding medical issues. Plus, sweet food is too addicting. Once you eat one piece it is never enough. The food is designed in such a way and the human brain cannot defeat the strong pull to consume more and more. No company nowadays can be trusted with anything. All they care about is money as they trample over the hope and dreams of those who they are supposed to be helping. After all, I should know that all too well myself, since Einosuke got all of his wealth and power first from running a candy factory of all things. This only proves more that I should not attempt to get close to Sora.

"No thank you but I appreciate the offer," I answer him.

"We should go then. Come on, Sora. You should come with us, Shiro." Not having anything else to do other than sleep or find Asuka (and even then I do not know if the white hall is officially the dorm section of the ship yet and there are no clues to Asuka's whereabouts yet), I decide to follow the two of them. They go up the stairs so the pollen must not reach the upper levels as much. When the three of us arrive on the second floor, I realize that there are eight other people there. The people are Ichiko, Mizore, Keiji, Choumi, Leonie, Rokuro, Yuu, and Yuki.

Much like the first floor, there is a forest theme. Instead of having branches cover the ceiling, it is medal poorly painted to look like wood and they should have kept look at their budget so they could have done a better job. But most of the ceiling is covered by the top of the tree so perhaps whoever worked on this just became lazy and half-assed their job. Matching the ceiling but much better painted, the floor tries to come off as wooden as well. It may have been a better job than the ceiling but it is still not convincing. Anyways, much like downstairs, the tables are divided by the side of the room into groups of three. They literally look exactly the same. What is interesting in this room, however, is that there is a karaoke machine with a television behind it on the side of the room the bar is for the first floor. On the opposite side of the room, there is yet another television that is much bigger and is playing a stock video of standard rainforest locations.

Ichiko is sitting at one of the tables by herself with her papers all spread out as she writes passionately into her notebook. Mizore keeps trying to look over the historian's shoulder but she keeps blocking her from view. Keiji and Choumi have a table to themselves as well. The dog walker is playing with his dog, who I will be bringing with me if my plans to succeed in this game come true, while Choumi engages in a conversation with him. Yuki is at the karaoke station with her brother and Rokuro, who are trying to turn it on while the singer plays around with the microphone being absolutely no help at all. Leonie is also by herself, in the far opposite part of the room as Kobi, and reading The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King.

Chika and Sora make their way to one of the tables and start their own conversation. Now that I am up here, maybe I should try getting some information. Ichiko may not be overly trusting with her information but her notebooks will be a great resource to have.

"Can't believe this is my job now...I want to go back to being a caretaker..." Catching everybody off guard, including myself, Mononeko drops from the ceiling and lands on the microphone. Yuki is offended that the mascot is taking the spotlight but Mononeko does not pay any attention to her as the cat tries to get comfortable on the still off microphone.

"What are you doing here? Can you see that nobody likes you or believes in your bullshit games?" Choumi tells Mononeko. Mononeko is completely unphased by the courier's insults.

"We don't have time for that. I need my nap. And later I need to give you your like...student handbooks I think they're called?...Yawnnnn...that's a stupid name. But, yeah, you need to learn the rules. Yada, yadda..."

"Then why are you here?" I continue Choumi's questioning. It is strange that the people behind this are letting us freely walk around without knowing the rules considering what happened with the first Saitou. But, then again, I would believe teenagers would be in more of a panic about the current situation, but they seem somewhat calm. They may be eccentric but somehow they are not letting the panic of death get to them which I am only now realizing is a bit weird, along with people not being too surprised that we are in space.

"Oh...that's simple. All of you here are decided to have an advantage in the game for being a bunch of good girls and boys."

Wait, what?

* * *

_"Come on, let's play!" A little boy reached out his hand, warm and inviting but reeking of death. His smile is nothing but plastic promises._

_"I don't want to, Fool..." Another little boy hid his face, not being able to face the overwhelming light. But the light still persists, for it does not care about the comfort of others._

_"Don't worry, Einosuke! It'll be fine!" Without hesitation this time, the boy grabbed onto the other's hand and allowed himself to be swallowed up in the light._

* * *

**This chapter took a long time to make oh my god. I blame it on me having new ideas for scenes in between the storage room and the restaurant/dining hall. So congrats there is another part of the first chapter because I couldn't help myself with the meme squad. Once again, I'm still getting used to these characters, so, if I get something wrong about them, just tell me so I know for future reference.**

**Sorry, this took forever but I'm actually making a lot of progress in the audiobook. And my life is once again what I would call a living Hell. But what else is new? Also, this chapter is so goddamn long because I just couldn't help myself.**

**If you want to discuss matters privately with me, you should be PMing me because I'm really busy right now so we could possibly clear up misunderstandings. Or contact me on Discord.**

**QOTC: Would you have fun on this ship if it wasn't going to explode in six months? Because I would. _I would be hanging out with the meme squad. No regrets._**

**Reviews~**

**AnonChan1- This chapter is another one in Intro Hell but shush I like the five-part intros so its part of the first chapter now. Luckily for everybody involved, there isn't a trial. Monokuma, no, give Yoshi her Ultimate talent back! Aito is Aito and he is weird and I love him. Somebody realized the reference so have fun with that info. ;) Shiro isn't going to die this early I already did a protagonist death in the first chapter. All the other chapters Shiro might be screwed. The weirdo trio (which is Emilynn, Etsuko and Aito btw) is filled with secrets and memes. Emilynn and Etsuko may be suffering but they still got memes. Praise Ratscal. Shiro looks over to Akita and Ayano and is like 'it was very logical for Einosuke to not give me an a name.' Shiro needs therapy but everybody here needs or will need therapy. Don't give me ideas, Anon, you know I'll do that to the pets. Don't tempt me.**

**Here we have Shiro's cynicism going even further so have fun with that. Shiro would get so confused if he actually learned the truth of Sakura and Gundham's actions, somebody help him because I'm not doing it. Einosuke is an asshole and should burn in the darkest depths of Hell because look what he did to poor Shiro. Monokuma was too much of a dick in FoD so now people get a breather with Mononeko whose a mood. Shiro is a little shit and I love him. Asuka did not sign up for this shit. MoDE!Monokuma looked at FoD!Monokuma and went 'oh no you aren't going to fuck up another story.' Mononeko may be a serial killer forcing children to kill each other but she is still a damn mood. Oh yes, what is happening with Ryusuke and Saitou will be explored more next chapter because I WAS TOO BUSY WITH MEMES OF ALL THINGS! Congrats y'all get another chapter where all the cinnamon rolls are still alive but that means y'all gonna suffer more when one of them brutally dies. Also, a good little breather since I like throwing a bunch of plot at people like Shouko liked throwing apples at preteens. Oh yes, freak out as much as you want. Here are angst and memes now.**

**Mononeko will have BEANS and one of the cat lovers will notice that because Shiro is too busy being a little shit. Here's more feelingssssssss. I should just walk around with a warning label on my forehead that I will torture cinnamon rolls because I can never stop myself. The Storage Room just has a section filled with doors and that will be true Hell. I'M GOING TO WINK MORE. ;) ;) ;) Akita is going to get Akita'd once again because of the audiobook and now Akita has died like six times. Stop dying, Akita. Here's more evidence that Einosuke is a fucking asshole and Yasu's father even goes 'wtf dude.' Abusive parents killing game sounds amazing and they all die and the world is a greater place. Oh yes. KOTORI IS GONNA GET KAZUHIKO'D AGAIN IN THE AUDIOBOOK PRAISE THE LORD! The emu jokes will never die especially if the meme squad finds out about them. Yes. THE MEME SQUAD IS AMAZING AND I LOVE ALL OF THEM (Emilynn being their honorary member because of course)! KOBI KOBI KOBI! Shiro is going to adopt all the DiOS cast and still be like 'I don't care about them.' You can trust Etsuko she even has white hair now! REQ YESSSSSS!**

**TheRoseShadow21-Thanks so much I worked very hard on it. :D Its because it's true the Committee doesn't give a shit about any of their workers. I'll find a way to be a little shit myself in these stories in any way I can. Thanks again!**

**RisingoftheShieldHeroine-Thanks for the support! :D**

**a fan- I'll continue to make y'all suffer more. ;) Shiro is best husbando.**


	9. Despair in Our Stars First Ending

**Ending-Idola Circus**

**(Yellow this has spoilers for FoD so be warned)**

* * *

An endless field of white, only filled with the flowers of empty promises and a lonely doll still clinging to the last strings of his sanity. He does not yet know that his strings of those of a puppet, with the dull clouds hiding away the true stage and the puppeteer smiling as she continues his song and dance.

Suddenly, the music starts, and more dolls fall into the field, disrupting the quiet and ruining the flowers. At first, all thirty of them lay on the ground, as if they are trying to smell the now dead roses, but they all jump up at the same time. They all clap their hands and dance to the rhythm of the music while the first doll only watches them, the only surviving white rose in his hands. One of the thorns pricks on the doll's finger, letting out a single droplet of blood. The blood drops then make its journey to the ground, not quite making it there yet as the camera follows.

**You will never be able to escape the despair of our stars to make it to the lost paradise.**

The scene cuts to the close up of a pale woman's mouth as she mouths a word similar to that of hope. She looks like she has more to say but stops herself, biting her lip almost drawing out more blood. After that, the camera moves slightly out, showing the part of her face underneath her eyes, revealing that she also has blue hair. The blood lands onto her hand, looking almost like one of her tears.

Another scene change as the focus shifts back to the dolls. They are still dancing except the one waiting in the back. A black cat appears in front of them, being followed by Mononeko. Mononeko is smiling but then yawns, falling asleep on the barren field. The cat remains, not even bothering to acknowledge the other cat, dog, and rat that has now joined. However, after that, the first doll is forced into the dance, fighting the entire way but not being able to break apart from all of the strings. Clap, clap, life is only a dull repeat.

Moving the camera above the clouds, the puppeteer is with another who is bowing to her. The puppeteer lets go of the strings but the dolls still dance. She grabs onto the chin of the other person with her and smiles. Without saying a word, she leaves that other person now laying on the floor as she joins with another.

**青い空が汚れて見えますか**

**Do you see the blue sky being dirtied?**

Scene changes to the new cast going inside the new Hope's Peak building altogether with the exception of Saitou Kurokoma, Aito Watanabe, and one other. The sky above them is a clear blue. Once they make it inside, the door shuts and they all turn around. There's a woman that wasn't there before in the middle of the room now grinning at them. When the camera shows the faces of the new cast, the windows reveal that the sky has now turned into an ugly shade of brown filled with clouds raining what looks like to be mud.

**暗い部屋が何より好きですか**

**Do you like a dark room more than anything else?**

Now the scene is with the old cast, except for Mei, Himura Etsuko, and Emilynn, in a room that looks oddly familiar to the one that the original Saitou was murdered in. The entire room is dark except for a single candle in the center, with the people sitting in a circle all holding hands. They look up to see the face of their savior and tormentor, the only one fitting to be given the title of master. All of them stop holding hands as they reach out as if they are trying to touch the ceiling while sitting down.

**あぁ、そんなら少し遊ぼうよ**

**Ah, then let's play just a bit**

All of the remaining players stand in a white void, standing right next to each other with perfect posture, perfectly still. Only one of them has their face mysteriously covered in shadow. The order goes in Mei, Emilynn, Etsuko, the mysterious figure, Himura, Saitou, and then Aito. When Aito breaks the formation by running out of there into a bright light, everybody but the figure follows him.

**ねぇどうだい、今日なら少し安いから**

**Hey, how about it? Today's a bit cheaper, after all**

Shiro then appears right in front of the figure, looking up at them so he can try to see their eyes. However, that is simply not possible with the mysterious darkness. The figure pats Shiro on the shoulder before running off with the others. Shiro turns his head stares at them at his spot, not moving a single inch as he finds he is now in the darkness all by himself.

**地獄じゃ蜘蛛の糸は救いの手だと**

**I was taught that a spider's thread**

The scene shifts to a singular white thread leading to bright light from miserable darkness. Every person tries to climb the thread, fighting for that chance to finally feel warmth once again in their cold dead hearts. All of their hands reach what they assume in the sky but in reality, is nothing more than a dull light bulb.

**教わったつもりでした**

**is the hand of salvation in Hell,**

The only person not fighting is Emilynn, sulking in the darkness now threatening to consume all of them. However, a hand reaches out to her. She does not accept it, trying to swat it away.

**でも本当はそいつがとんでもない**

**But it was actually an unthinkable**

Then the light flickers, sending everybody into even more of a frenzy. Emilynn still denies the wish, sending a death glare to the person continuing to press her buttons. In an attempt to escape the pestering, Emilynn joins the crowd in a pitiful attempt to grab the rope. All of them really need to improve their upper body strength and rope climbing abilities. Too bad there isn't anybody with that type of talent here.

**デマらしいと噂だった**

**false rumor-like rumor**

Once Emilynn starts her ascent, the thread breaks, with everybody falling in the miserable darkness below. Emilynn falls on top of everybody, still breathing while her pillow has turned into nothing but a mass grave. She reaches her hand out to the light, this time pleading for the hand, but it does not come. That is when the bulb finally gives out, erasing all its brilliant light from existence.

**あぁ、そんなの聞いちゃいないぞお釈迦様**

**Ah, I didn't hear that, Buddha**

In a new scene, the old cast creates a line and looks like they are now playing a game of telephone. Behind them is what seems to be an endless graveyard. All of them quickly tell the next in line the secret phrase. Sachiko whispers something into Shiro's ear, who is last in line. With an uncharacteristic expression of concern, Shiro blurts out what he thinks is the answer.

**手足のこの糸解いて**

**Untangle this thread of limbs**

Behind all of them, there is a massive pink congrats sign and fireworks. All of them fall down except for Emilynn who was first in line. All of them become nothing but tangled up bodies. Emilynn's expression is blank as she looks at their unmoving bodies. With a sigh, Emilynn starts her work of untangling them all.

**裸体になってさ踊り明かそう**

**Come, let's dance all night in our naked bodies**

Scene change to a dance hall with walls and floors of brown and lights of a faded red. All of the new cast are dancing with each other, in their formal clothes because we got kids here everybody. Sora and Chika and Keiji and Choumi are two of the groups. Sora and Keiji let go of their partners and go with Kaimaru and Suzunami. Chika and Choumi grab a hold of each other, dancing with the beat of the music. Once the dance requires new partners, Chika and Choumi go with Fubuki and Jun, but still, try to reach out for each other but fail, only being able to gaze at the other's fingertips.

**We know we know 君の本性**

**We know, we know your true nature**

Aito rushes through the door with Etsuko and Emilynn behind them. It's not surprising for Emilynn to not be thrilled but Etsuko also does not want to be there. Pulling the three of them onto the dance floor, they dance together until their feet start to hurt. But nobody is able to stop. Unlike everybody else, the three of them do not switch their partners.

**また綺麗事並べて**

**Again putting on a fake face,**

Ryoichi, or should I say Ryusuke, is the only one alone, even though he is not the only one that doesn't belong there. He watches everybody dance as he sulks in the corner crossing his arms. Flashes of the original Saitou then dominate the scene, ending with a last still image of Ryoichi standing over Saitou's corpse.

**君はきっとピエロがお似合いさ**

**you're just like a pierrot**

A person finally reaches out to Ryusuke, that being the new Saitou. Aito, Emilynn, and Etsuko all stare suspiciously at them in the middle of the dancefloor, stopping in their tracks while everybody else continues onward, circling the three of them. Saitou and Ryusuke join the circle, dancing to their heart's content, as the weirdo trio remains still.

**自問自答どれが嘘で**

**Answering your own questions, which is a lie?**

The scene changes to that of a stage. Ayumu and Renkou are both announcing something before Ayamu is about to fall asleep again and Renkou helps him off the stage and into one of the seats. Shiro is the one now on the stage dressing as nice as possible as he begins playing the piano. With the melody of the keys, Shiro wears a real smile, not paying attention to the master of all behind him.

**右往左往どれが本当**

**Going right and left, which is the truth?**

The camera shifts to the Master's side on the left of the stage to Shiro's piano on the right. However, the Master is frowning, almost looking like she is about to cry. Flashes of Shiro's childhood then bombard the scene, with a happy Shiro playing all sorts of different instruments. This happy montage ends, however, when Einosuke enters the screen, stopping Shiro in his tracks and now the man is nothing more than a terrified child. That causes the Master to be happy and strangely comfort the crying child.

**ほら舞台に上がりなよ**

**Come on up to the stage!**

Now the entire cast is children except for Mei, who stays in the audience as everybody hops on with energy onto the stage but then begin to cry. The Master comforts them all. Mei is about the leave the theatre when she is stopped, only now realizing that one of the others did not join or turn into a child as well. Looking into the eyes of this person, Mei turns into a child as well and runs into the arms of the Master.

**ビビっちゃってさ 武者震いしてんのかい**

**Are you trembling with fear and excitement?**

All of the children stop crying as the other person leaves the theatre, leaving them all alone with the Master. The Master keeps her smile as all of them continue to dance for her, unable, and now unwilling to break the endless cycle of misery. The only thing the Master can do is laugh.

**Music Solo**

Another change. This time back to the endless white abyss. First is all of the boys except for Shiro and Himura from the original cast. Jun is in the middle as they surround him. Next is Emilynn and Mei, with Mei reaching out to Emilynn but the girl is too busy on her phone to notice. Mei falls down and Emilynn looks around to see that there is nobody left standing except for herself, Etsuko, and Himura. Shiro is at her feet in the dress he had on during his execution, clutching tightly to Emilynn and foaming at the mouth.

Scene change, this time matching to the beat of the music but still with the same plain white background. The people in these scenes are completely still, only looking directly into the camera. All of them now have their appearance from the lost paradise.

Saitou and Ryoichi.

Yuu, Yuki, and Sachiko.

Sachiko and Osamu.

Osamu and Shiro.

Shiro breaks the mold by being alone and crying as he is covered in blood.

Natsuki and Jun.

Ichiko and Himura.

Kitsu and Asuka.

Ayumu and Mizore.

Mei once again, though this time she has her despair in our stars appearance, breaks the mold by sobbing uncontrollably while being completely covered in blood, looking as if she is having a panic attack. Himura reaches out toward her on one side while Emilynn and Etsuko are doing the same on the other. However, Mei does not pay attention to any of them, only giving into her sorrow as the corpses of everybody else are above her still dripping blood.

Next is Shiro with a man with long white hair that matches the background now not destroyed by too much blood. The man with white hair begins to walk away and Shiro attempts to go after him. He is stopped by somebody grabbing his shoulder. Turning his head around, Shiro notices that it is Keiji who stopped him. Shiro is still as Keiji continues after the man instead.

**家になんて帰らなくていいよ**

**There's no need to go home**

Another scene change (there's a lot of those). Mononeko is talking to all of the cast in the gym, mirroring the announcement of the killing game. First, the camera focuses on Mononeko, then to the students. All of them look less than pleased.

**お金なんて後でも構わないよ**

**Don't worry about money until later**

Mononeko turns on the screen excitably and starts making a show of everything until she remembers she's tired and falls asleep. The camera then shifts to all of the different areas of the ship without anybody in it but still showing clear signs of use.

**テレビを点けてみたら**

**When you tried turning on the TV,**

The first scene is on the second floor of the restaurant. Emilynn, Etsuko, and Aito are all sitting on the edge of the railing, looking like they do not care whether or not they fall. Shiro is by himself at one of the tables, overlooking evidence of the mystery he has collected. Ichiko is doing the exact same thing sitting on at the table behind him. Sora and Chika are playing what looks like a game with each other with Mizore trying to join in. Keiji and Choumi are at the table behind the twins, with Kobi being on Keiji's head as he tries to convince Choumi to join them. Yuki and Yuu are doing a duet as Rokuro makes sure they don't destroy everything. Leonie is laying against one of the walls, paying close attention to how strangely the tree in the middle moves.

**お釈迦様の手が手錠でお留守でした**

**the Buddha's hands were absent from their handcuffs**

All of the people except for Emilynn, Etsuko, and Aito from the previous scene are now again at the white void. All of them have a solemn expression as the word advantage is shown on their monopads. Everybody else surrounds them (except for the weirdo trio once again), laying on the floor but not dead, all of them only moving slightly. Although there is blood on the floor, it's not theirs. Everybody on the floor is in a circle with handcuffs keeping them together.

**実のところこいつは**

**As a matter of fact,**

Continuing the previous scene, Aito appears on one side of the room and Emilynn and Etsuko on the other. Aito is the only person in the room smiling. Emilynn and Etsuko groan at his childish behavior while everybody else seems like they are now completely devoid of any emotion.

**名だたるペテン師らしいと噂だった**

**it was rumored that this guy's like a notorious swindler**

Aito smiles now that the camera is now completely focused on him. Pulling out his own monopad, he turns it on and it says the words jury. He throws the monopad at the crowd of people, which causes the scene to break into pieces much like a mirror.

**あぁ、そんなの聞いちゃいないぞ ニュースキャスター**

**Ah, I didn't hear that, newscaster**

Shiro once again gets some love in this ending because he remembers he's the main character. This time, however, he is at the end of the line of the game of telephone with the new cast. Fubuki whispers something in his ear. With uncharacteristic cockiness, Shiro blurts out his answer.

**手足のこの糸解いて**

**Untangle this thread of limbs**

There is no sign this time, all of them waiting to see that there is no graveyard behind them this time. Nothing happens and all of them are forced to stay together in the overwhelming silence.

**裸体になってさ踊り明かそう**

**Come, let's dance all night in our naked bodies**

The dance party continues with the new cast, without the presence of the weirdo trio. Now there is Shiro in the middle that they are all dancing around. The Master comes up to him for a dance and Shiro accepts. Still in the middle, the two of them dance beautifully. That is until somebody takes the Master away from him, with the person going too fast for Shiro to notice them. Now Shiro is taken by Kaimaru, more than happy to show him all of his skills.

**We know we know 君の本性**

**We know, we know your true nature**

Once the dance with Kaimaru stops, everybody but Shiro falls down and then disappears. Shiro tries to get them back but is stopped by familiar faces, those of Eimu and Yoshi. Shiro turns into the version of himself while he was attending Hope's Peak and then does ring around the rosie with them. Ashes, ashes, we all fall down. Except Shiro remains standing as Eimu and Yoshi fall. The little girl in red watches on, clinging onto a teddy bear that is falling apart.

**また綺麗事並べて**

**Again putting on a fake face,**

Shiro runs up to the girl and tries to hug her but she disappears, leaving nothing but her teddy bear. The teddy bear begins to fall on the ground and Shiro attempts to catch it. However, it is too late, and the teddy bear falls into pieces, never to be whole ever again. Einosuke watches over Shiro as he collects the pieces of starts crying into them.

**君はきっとピエロがお似合いさ**

**you're just like a pierrot**

Once Shiro stops crying and looks over to where Einosuke is, he turns into the version of Shiro that got executed, despair still clear in his eyes. The current Shiro can only look in horror as the old him begins to monologue. But the monologue ends when the executed Shiro gets his head decapitated by piano wire. Shiro is left alone with nothing but his very own corpse.

**自問自答どれが嘘で**

**Answering your own questions, which is a lie?**

The scene changes to that of the trial of the lost paradise, only this time with the current version of the characters, and the Master is in the courtroom with Etsuko and Himura behind her. The old Mei's body is on the throne while the new one is chained to her.

**右往左往どれが本当**

**Going right and left, which is the truth?**

The camera shows the worried expressions of everybody in the room except for the Master, Etsuko, Himura, and Mei. All of them start debating each other, trying to find the truth, all but Emilynn who stays silent.

**ほら舞台に上がりなよ**

**Come on up to the stage!**

Not liking the lack of progress, the Master points to one of the screens and starts playing their executions on it. Flashes of pain and agony start overwhelming the scene. Of everybody being brutally murdered for the enjoyment of the masses.

**ビビっちゃってさ 武者震いしてんのかい**

**Are you trembling with fear and excitement?**

The Master begins to monologue as everybody becomes more and more distressed. Monokumas and Mononekos both begin to clap as everybody begins to shut down. Everybody else in the cast not involved can do nothing as they are forced to watch the horror.

**Music Solo**

Continued flashes of horrific death in time with the music as everybody gets tortured by the repeated images. There is no escaping what has happened before, and there is no escaping what will happen now.

There is a flash of a bang.

Of outer space and a handprint against the glass.

Of a tree that has seen too much of this world.

Of a bloodied footprint on the wooden ground.

Of an unfortunate fool.

Of a love that was never meant to last.

Of a body floating peacefully in the void.

**It's time to 愛想ない君の顔に**

**It's time to put a mask, a mask**

Shiro is with Ayano and Kazuhiko, the three of them being happy together. This changes when he sees the now brutalized body of his friends, with Ayano still being turned into Junko. He reaches out and touches the both of them but they turn into dust.

**仮面 仮面付けてあげましょう**

**On your unsociable face**

Mei is now with Akita trying to reach out to her but cannot reach. Akita's body slowly morphs to her dead one with Mei being unable to do anything to stop it. Now with her sister dead, Mei cries and is consoled by the Master.

**その綺麗事含めて**

**Including those fake faces,**

Zoom-ins of all of the old cast's faces shows up on the screen with their faces morphing from their old ones to the new. Their expressions are all blank.

**君の矜持耳揃えて**

**I'll gather your pride, please give it to me**

All of the cast are together holding hands in front of a willow tree. Their hands are all held together by handcuffs. The chains cannot be broken so they stand together facing Mononeko. But then the chains break, Mononeko is gone, and blood paints the tree once again. Although they are no longer chained, they forget about the strings.

**頂戴したい したい**

**Can't you hear the sound**

Now there are zoom-ins of the new cast's faces. They remain the same. After they look around, the screen fades to black.

**聞こえるでしょう 異論もない 拍手の音**

**Of applause without one objection?**

Mei is on the stage all by herself with Monokuma in her arms and the spotlight on her. Kazuma, the human Monokuma, and the Master all don't pay attention to her in the seats. She drops the Monokuma the moment she lays eyes on Mononeko.

**ほら舞台に上がりなよ**

**Come on up to the stage!**

Once the spotlight goes off and then all of the lights turn on it reveals that the entire cast is behind Mei. They begin to dance but Mei does not join them, instead deciding to back away from them. Facing them, Mei doesn't realize until its too late that she is about to fall off the stage. She falls onto the ground and notices that nobody is in the audience anymore, with the people being replaced by Mononekos.

**わかってんでしょ 君も共犯者だ**

**You knew, didn't you? You're also an accomplice**

The light turns off once again and on to reveal the brutalized body of everybody that was in Next Danganronpa 4: Despair Beyond Hope. Rei and Yasu appear before Mei and start screaming at her. Mei ignores them, however, as she tries to reach her Monokuma plushie.

**Music Solo**

Now flashes on the deaths from Despair Beyond Hope play with Lost Paradise mixing into them, making it hard to tell which of them is real. Mei is left completely alone in the theatre as all the lights give out.

**見ない振りしたいような**

**Can you hear the back of the stage**

Shiro remembers he's the main character again and now is on the stage with nobody else there. They are backstage out of sight. With Shiro thinking nobody else is there, he begins to dance with practiced grace. But of course, Shiro is unable to escape the little girl that is now directly behind him, now holding onto a doll dressed up like a princess.

**舞台の前 聞こえてる**

**you want to pretend not to see?**

Shiro closes his eyes, not wanting to pay attention to the little girl that is now following his exact movements but badly. The moment Shiro opens his eyes, the girl stops and turns into dust once again.

**ほら ほら ほら ほら**

**Come on, come on, come on, come on,**

Now people are in groups posing together with the picture changing whenever the singer says come on. Aito is in charge of changing the pictures, still with a giant grin on his face.

The first is Shiro, Mei, and Hanane. Shiro and Hanane are both trying to get away from Mei but she holds them together. After a second of fighting against Mei, Shiro gives in, but Hanane doesn't stop attempting to break free. Hanane eventually does and Mei goes after her, dragging Shiro along.

Second, there's Ayumu, Renkou, and Saitou the substitute. Ayumu is falling asleep and Saitou is allowing him to do so on him. Renkou is attempting to convince them to go back to their rooms. It doesn't work as Saitou begins to fall asleep as well and Renkou has to carry both of them. The basketball player spots Ryusuke and recruits him to help, but the demonologist only runs away.

Asuka, Kaimaru, and Rokuro are the third set of people. Kaimaru is trying to teach Asuka in a more outrageous way and Rokuro is attempting to stop it. Asuka doesn't seem to mind. Rokuro begins to drag Kaimaru away and Asuka chases after them. Leonie watches over all of them from afar wondering how she got into this situation.

Jun is with Ichiko and Himura. Himura is looking over Ichiko's shoulder as she looks but cannot understand anything because of her code. Meanwhile, Jun is trying to convince them of something, not realizing neither of them is paying any attention. Mizore reveals herself then surprises all of them by jumping onto Jun's shoulders.

**ほら ほら ほら ほら**

**Come on, come on, come on, come on,**

Fubuki arranges Kitsu and Natsuki to act however she pleases, with Suzunami working on tools that all of them need during the scene. Kitsu acts like an over-the-top villain while Natsuki pretends to be a damsel of distress, which doesn't please Suzunami but Fubuki doesn't pay attention to xem.

The next group is Sachiko and Osamu going up against Keiji and Choumi. Everybody but Sachiko is sending negative vibes to the other. In a sad turn of events, Kobi and Pon-chan are being the most adult out of the group, barking and meowing pleasantly with each other. Ratscal scurries across the screen getting the attention of Pon-chan and Kobi, with Pon-chan convincing Kobi to help her chase the rat (though the dog really isn't into it). All of the people realize that start running after the pets.

Next, there's Emilynn, Etsuko, Tahlia, and Seina. The four of them are causing chaos planning something none of us want to know about. Their conversation, however, is interrupted by Ratscal running in and Kobi and Pon-chan still giving chase. And then Sachiko, Osamu, Keiji, and Choumi run into the scene and ruin everything. Now everybody is running around making sure Ratscal doesn't die. Well, except Etsuko, she knows Ratscal ain't gonna die in the ED and decided to instead write down notes about how people are reacting.

Lastly, there's Sora, Chika, Yuu, and Yuki, who all avoided the chaos. Yuu and Yuki are showing off their skills with music. Sora and Chika are working on one of their projects even with all of the noise. However, Yuki wants attention so she jumps right on top of all of their notes, not listening to Yuu's warnings. Chika looks like she is about to scream before the scene ends.

**歌え**

**Sing!**

Returning to the stage, the entire cast is there in a single line. All of them fist bump and shout out sing at the same time.

**Lead us not into temptation, deliver us from evil**

**Amen**

* * *

**Oh look I finally finished the ED. I've no idea what I'm doing still so enjoy having theory-crafting material. And angst. And a surprising amount of fluff. Stop being cute DiOS cast, you're gonna kill each other.**

**No beta this time around too so yeah there's probably a billion mistakes. No beta for OPs and EDs, we die like Akita.**

**This song is Idola Circus by Neru (aka my favorite Vocaloid producer) **


End file.
